Ukraine War: Artist in Russia: Suddenly Terrorist

When a new law was passed in Russia at the beginning of March 2022, according to which spreading a view of the war in Ukraine that deviates from the government line can be punished with up to 15 years in prison, it was clear: the repression against dissidents there has a new quality reached. Since then, numerous artists have also felt the harshness of the new laws.

The feminist artist Sascha Skotschilenko, for example. At the end of March 2022, she was arrested for replacing the price tags on the shelves with anti-war messages in a St. Petersburg supermarket. Instead of the price of rice or pasta, it read, among other things: “My great-grandfather did not fight for four years in the Second World War so that Russia would become a fascist state and attack Ukraine.” The court interpreted this as “knowingly spreading false information.” Information about the use of the Russian armed forces” and sentenced the activist to seven years in a prison camp in November 2023. This is a life-threatening sentence for the artist, as she suffers from a chronic illness and access to appropriate medical care and food that she can tolerate is not guaranteed while in prison. Her health deteriorated significantly while she was in custody.

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The poets Artyom Kamardin, Igor Shtovba and Nikolai Dayneko, who presented their critical texts at a reading against mobilization in Moscow in September 2022, were also sentenced to years in prison. Kamardin is also said to have been severely tortured at the police station. The director Yevgenia Berkowitsch and the playwright Svetlana Petrijtschuk have also been in custody since May 2023 for their documentary play about Islamist terror; they could also be banished to a penal camp for seven years; They are being tried for “justifying terrorism.” Although the play has nothing to do with the Ukraine war, observers of the process suspect that it is intended to make an example of critical, feminist artists: the liberal art scene should no longer feel safe.

Since the attack on Ukraine, the Russian government has also been trying to clarify the fronts at home: friend-enemy rhetoric predominates in the state media, and anyone who is in the public eye and does not support the government’s course is considered a traitor. By law, critics are declared “foreign agents,” which severely restricts their ability to work and publish. In the last two years this has affected well-known musicians such as Zemfira, Noize MC and Morgenstern, who used to fill stadiums in Russian cities.

While Boris Akunin’s historical crime novels recently topped the bestseller lists, they are no longer allowed to be sold in Russia today. The author was placed on the list of “extremists and terrorists” in December and criminal proceedings for terrorism were opened against him. The obvious reason for this is that he speaks out loudly against the war and has founded an organization that aims to network the opposition abroad and collect money for Ukrainian refugees. Akunin, like the majority of critical artists, is in exile and is therefore initially safe from punishment.

Domestically, the lines in cultural institutions such as theaters and museums are being replaced. Patriotic pop stars like singer Shaman are in the spotlight. Books by critical or queer authors are disappearing from the shelves, concerts are being canceled – even by popular musicians who do not express themselves openly politically, but whose critical stance can be assumed or who refuse to live in the occupied territories to appear in Ukraine.

Some artists who care more about their careers within Russia than about making political statements have backtracked on their initial criticism and deleted social media posts with messages of peace. One of them was the prominent blogger and TV presenter Nastya Ivleyeva. Nevertheless, she felt how quickly state repression can affect even non-political people. In December she invited people to an exclusive party in Moscow with the motto: “Almost Naked”. Many celebrities appeared lightly dressed and documented the spectacle on social media. Right-wing groups called for the authorities to intervene because the party promoted immorality, drugs and the “gay lifestyle.” It is also inappropriate to celebrate while soldiers are dying at the front. Some of the party-goers were then “cancelled”, their concerts were canceled and their advertising deals were terminated. Those affected are trying to save their careers with apology videos on social media. Criminal proceedings are underway against the organizer of “Almost Naked” and the rapper Vacio, who appeared at the party with only a sock over his penis, was arrested. The accusation: hooliganism and “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships.” After his first administrative sentence, Vacio was forcibly brought before the military office.

The distribution of queer content has been banned by law in Russia for over a year. This means that, for example, films, books or series that deal with a homosexual relationship may no longer be published. With a new law, the government criminalized the entire queer community by classifying the “LGBT movement” as extremist. Since its adoption at the end of November, there have been police raids on several queer clubs and bars in Moscow, and the first safe spaces had to close. These repressions not only force queer people to hide their identity, but are also a bitter blow to the liberal creative scene as a whole and further impoverish cultural life.

There is no hope that the situation will improve in the near future. While before the attack on Ukraine international political pressure could sometimes make a difference in such cases, today this seems hopeless. Russia is no longer interested in good relations with democratic states. It is to be expected that the Russian state will continue to crack down on dissidents, so that critical artists will only have the choice between exile, prison or collaboration.

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