Moscow Court Issues In Absentia Arrest Warrant for Anti-War Singer Monetochka for Foreign Agent Violations

A Moscow court has issued a ruling for the in absentia arrest of anti-war pop artist Monetochka, whose real name is Yelizaveta Gyrdymova, citing charges of avoiding obligations related to her designation as a foreign agent, the city prosecutor’s office announced on Monday.

This decision implies that Monetochka could be detained if she returns to Russia.

Prosecutors allege that she has continued to share material on social media without the mandatory foreign agent disclaimer, despite being fined twice for the same violation within a year.

As of Monday afternoon, Monetochka has not made any public statements regarding the court’s ruling.

In January 2023, Russia’s Ministry of Justice classified Monetochka as a «foreign agent» following her criticism of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and her efforts to raise funds for Ukrainian civilians.

She was fined 30,000 rubles (about $380) in both June and August of that year for not labeling her posts with the required “foreign agent” tag.

In September 2024, Russian authorities initiated a criminal case against Monetochka, and she was subsequently added to a wanted list the following month.

If convicted of violating Russian regulations concerning foreign agents, Gyrdymova could face a prison sentence of up to two years.

The singer left Russia shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has since moved to Europe, where she continues to create and perform music for Russian-speaking audiences living in exile.

Russian authorities utilize the label of “foreign agent” to target individuals they consider adversaries of the state. Those designated must clearly display disclaimers on their publications, including social media content, and provide detailed financial information to the government.