A large crowd joined street musicians in Russia as they belted out a song banned for being ‘extremist’ – with lyrics calling for Vladimir Putin to be overthrown
Hundreds of young Russians flooded a historic city square and belted out a banned song calling for Vladimir Putin to be overthrown.
Video footage captured the moment the large crowd joined street musicians in Kazanskaya Square, St Petersburg, and sang ‘Cooperative Swan Lake’, which was outlawed in May 2025 after a court labelled it “extremist”. The song, by pro-Ukraine musician Ivan Alexeyev – known professionally as rapper Noize MC – has become an anti-war anthem for Russia’s youth against Putin’s regime and the invasion of Ukraine.
The song alludes to the Soviet tradition of airing Swan Lake in response to political crises – where the ballet was broadcast on a loop across all Russian TV channels to signify regime changes and political instability.
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The crowd were filmed chanting: “Where have you been for eight years, you f***ing monsters? I want to watch ballet, let the swans dance. Let your grandpa tremble with excitement for Swan Lake.”
The song also contains the lyrics: “When the czar dies, we’ll dance again. The old man still clings to his throne, afraid to let go. Old man in the bunker, still thinks it’s nineteen eighty-five.” Noize MC fled to Lithuania shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
An 18-year-old girl, Diana Loginova, led the chants and was arrested by police, according to Russian media. She will reportedly be charged with an administrative offence for organising a large gathering in a public place.
The gir’s mum, Irina, told local media the teenager had no political motivations and was only singing the song because of its popularity – and because MC Noize is one of her favourite artists.
Irina said: “Diana lives with me, she’s constantly under my supervision. I often attend her performances myself, then take her home. We are very close, and I know for sure that she has no political stance! Moreover, she’s a patriot of our country, she loves Russia very much and has no plans to leave! She has no intention of supporting Ukraine!
“The songs Diana chooses are those of her favourite artists. Her audience likes these compositions – that’s the only reason she sings them. The audience asks, and Diana performs. There is no subtext, no malicious intent. My daughter doesn’t encourage anyone to do anything and doesn’t promote anything.”
The video comes at a time following a series of successful strikes on Russia. This week, Ukrainian drones caused the largest oil storage and transshipment hub in Russian-occupied Crimea to burst into flames.
Ukraine has also heightened its drone campaign against key Russian targets – wiping out oil and gas infrastructure to weaken Putin’s war machine. The strikes have sent gasoline prices soaring and caused fuel shortages across Russia.