Singers, artists, rappers, authors: protests against the Ukraine war are growing in Russia. Big stars who were otherwise considered loyal to the Kremlin are also taking a stand against Vladimir Putin’s policies.
Protests against the war in Ukraine are growing in Russia. It’s not just ordinary citizens who take to the streets to demonstrate against Vladimir Putin’s invasion. Even if they face severe penalties for doing so. Russian celebrities are also increasingly taking sides against the Kremlin’s policies.
Rapper Oxxxymiron canceled his concert in protest at the Russian invasion of Ukraine, making an emotional appeal to his followers. “Today I am not satisfied with saying that I am for peace and against war. Because everyone always says that, but that does not prevent them from waging aggressive wars”, . “I am against the war that Russia has just unleashed against the people of Ukraine. I think it is a catastrophe and a crime,” said the 37-year-old, who is an icon of Russian rap.
The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan or the bombing of Belgrade could by no means justify the current war. “We must not use the mistakes and crimes of others to justify our own mistakes and crimes,” he appeals. “And no matter how hard you try to explain that it’s not aggression but defense, it’s not Ukraine that invaded Russian territory. It’s Russia bombing a sovereign state right now.”
“I can’t entertain you as long as Russian missiles are falling on Ukraine,” he said, explaining his cancellation of the concert to his fans. “As long as the residents of Kiev have to hide in the basements and the subway. As long as people are dying.” He couldn’t keep silent. “I know that the majority of people in Russia are against this war. And the more people say that, the faster we can stop this nightmare.”
Singer Sergei Lazarev
Even celebrities who previously followed the Kremlin line are now turning against the Russian government. “I cry like a boy. Because I’m fed up with the mighty of this world continuing to compete in strength and arms. But damn it, we only have one life and it passes. And nobody can breathe easy and plans for that for many years tomorrow because politicians have other plans!!”
Lazarev represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 in Stockholm, where he took 3rd place with the song “You Are the Only One”. He is one of the artists the Kremlin approves of and can often be seen on state television. At the risk of that changing, he nevertheless appealed: “Please stop everyone! Everyone at once! Say stop! Sit down at the negotiating table! Let the people live! Nobody supports the war! I want my children live in peace!” The singer has 4.7 million followers on Instagram.
Singer Valeri Meladze: “People must not die”
The singer Valeri Meladze, who has been one of the biggest figures in Russian show business for 30 years, addressed the Kremlin directly: “I ask you to stop the military operations and sit down at the negotiating table,” he appealed directly the government. In doing so, he used the term warlike operations prescribed by the Kremlin and did not speak of war. The word is simply banned in the Russian state media. Still, Meladze, who is a popular singer in the Kremlin, found a way to express his stance: “People mustn’t die. You have to stop that.”
Comedian Maxim Galkin: “There can be no justification for war!”
Comedian and presenter Maxim Galkin wrote on his Instagram channel on the first day of the war: “I have been in touch with my relatives and friends in Ukraine since the earliest morning. It is impossible to put into words how I feel! How is all this only possible! There can be no justification for war! No to war!” One of the most popular faces of Russian television, Galkin is the husband of Alla Pugacheva, the “Russian Madonna”.
Rapper Morgenstern appeals to soldiers
The rapper Morgenstern is currently on the run from the regime in Moscow. Nonetheless, he took a firm stance, addressing the Russian soldiers: “What’s the point of dying on the orders of important sacks? Besides, what the hell is the point of war when you can fuck, drink wine and dance?” he wrote he in his own scandalous manner.
Open letters of protest from artists, authors and designers
The Russian cultural elite is also taking a stand against Putin. The star choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater Alexei Ratmansky has left the country. The . “The war in Ukraine is a terrible tragedy for both Ukrainians and Russians,” it said. “It demands enormous human sacrifices, threatens economy and security and leads our country into complete international isolation… The pretext under which the ‘special operation’ is taking place was entirely constructed by the Russian authorities and we are opposed to this war being waged in is carried in our name”, write the artists, curators, architects, critics and art critics. “We express our absolute solidarity with the people of Ukraine and say a resolute ‘No to war!’ We demand an immediate cessation of all hostilities, the withdrawal of troops from Ukraine and peace talks,” the letter concludes .
One : “On February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded the territory of Ukraine. This is not a peacekeeping operation, as you call it. This is war,” they write, belying the Kremlin propaganda.
: “We, designers and illustrators from Russia, are firmly against the military actions of our country’s armed forces in Ukraine! War is aggression, destruction, selfishness and dehumanization. Military actions destroy destinies and tear apart human ties,” they wrote in their open letter. “We fully support the sovereignty of Ukraine, which is based on the work of democratic institutions. We believe that the Ukrainian people can solve all their internal problems and conflicts themselves, without the intervention of the Russian army. We demand respect for sovereignty and territorial Integrity of the Ukrainian state. We demand peace for our countries!”
Source: Stern
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