Teenage St. Petersburg Musician Sentenced Again for Defying Kremlin with Anti-War Songs

A Russian court has sentenced 18-year-old street performer Diana Loginova to 13 days in jail for a second time this month due to her viral performances of songs critical of the Kremlin.

Loginova, the lead singer of the band Stoptime, was initially arrested in mid-October along with two bandmates under accusations of organizing an unauthorized public assembly. The three had completed their previous administrative sentences earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Loginova was fined 30,000 rubles (approximately $375) for allegedly «discrediting» the Russian military by performing an anti-war song by an artist designated as a «foreign agent.»

Following the ruling on Tuesday, Loginova was transported in an unmarked vehicle to a police station, where she faced new charges of organizing an unauthorized gathering and petty hooliganism.

On Wednesday, a court in St. Petersburg found her guilty of both charges and imposed a 13-day sentence for each, as reported by the news outlet RusNews. The sentences will be served concurrently, meaning she will be detained for a total of 13 days rather than 26.

Her bandmates, guitarist Alexander Orlov and drummer Vladislav Leontyev, have also encountered multiple detentions. On Tuesday, Orlov received a 13-day sentence, while Leontyev was sentenced to 15 days for different administrative infractions.

Loginova, who performs under the stage name Naoko, announced on Stoptime’s Telegram channel that she and Orlov plan to marry after he proposed to her inside a police van.

She is facing a second charge of discrediting the military due to another anti-war performance, which could potentially result in criminal prosecution and several years in prison.

Irina Loginova, Diana’s mother, shared with local media that her daughter intends to continue performing after her release. «It’s her life,» she stated.