‘I thought, what could they do to me?’

Russian street singer Diana Loginova, jailed for performing anti-war songs, gives first major interview in exile

In 2025, three St. Petersburg street musicians did something seemingly impossible in wartime Russia: they repeatedly drew crowds of dozens of people to sing openly anti-war songs in public. The feat didn’t come without a price. In mid-October, Diana Loginova, Aleksandr Orlov, and Vladislav Leontyev were arrested. Over the following weeks, they were kept in custody through a series of consecutive misdemeanor sentences — an “arrest carousel” that lasted more than a month. Eventually, the musicians were released and allowed to return home. Soon after, Loginova and Orlov were reported to have fled Russia.

In a recent interview with popular Russian YouTube host Yury Dud, Loginova spoke about how the band — known as Stoptime — came together, how the authorities punished their bravery, and how she ultimately managed to leave the country. Dud also spoke to Alexander Orlov, Loginova’s mother, and the “foreign agent” musicians Monetochka and Noize MC, whose music Stoptime performed. Meduza has translated a summary of the conversation from the outlet Vot Tak.

Diana Loginova first began performing on the streets of St. Petersburg as part of a band called NeXti. She and fellow member Alexander Orlov eventually left the group because they objected to how their bandmates would sing the songs of Kremlin-approved, pro-war artists “just for kicks.” It was during a performance with NeXti that Loginova (who performs under the name Naoko) had the idea of performing music by artists the Kremlin has labeled “foreign agents,” whose work has largely vanished from Russia’s public space in recent years.

“Street musicians always play the same songs: ‘Batareika’ by Zhuki, ‘Vakhtyoram’ by Boombox, the basics,” she told Yury Dud in a new interview. “I had the feeling people were getting sick of those, and that we needed to sing something fresh, something new. Something that people actually listen to but are afraid to admit it in public.”

With this idea in mind, Loginova, Orlov, and drummer Vladislav Leontyev formed a new band: Stoptime.

Loginova rejected the idea that Stoptime played “foreign agent” music simply to gain attention or build an audience, though she said she understands how it could look that way. But her motivation, she said, was more personal.

“For me, this wasn’t a political statement — it was a way to bring together people who feel alone,” she explained, adding that she was deeply pained by how many talented musicians had effectively been banned by repressive laws.

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A bold idea

Loginova was just 14 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Even then, she said, it was clear to her that the country was carrying out an unprovoked attack on a neighboring state, regardless of how the Kremlin framed it. Politics hadn’t always interested her: she began paying closer attention in 2021, during the nationwide protests in support of opposition politician Alexey Navalny. She told Dud that the violent law enforcement response made her curious about why the authorities were so keen to shut the demonstrations down.

After the invasion, Loginova tried to avoid the news and focus on school, but politics inevitably surfaced in conversations with friends and relatives. At the same time, she found herself performing songs by the Kremlin-sponsored pro-war singer Shaman — including at school events, at a teacher’s request.

“I did what I was told so they’d let me leave on time and make it to my music school classes,” she explained.

Stoptime’s first performance to attract widespread attention came in August, after the outlet Bumaga reported on a concert the trio gave on Nevsky Prospekt. Loginova knew the songs could cause problems, but she thought the worst-case scenario would be a monetary fine.

“Technically speaking, the songs aren’t banned — so I thought, ‘What can they do to me?’” she told Dud. “Nowhere in the law does it say you can’t sing them.”

In an earlier interview with Dud, the rapper Noize MC — himself designated a “foreign agent,” and one of the artists whose songs Stoptime performed — said that this was when he first learned about the trio. Concerned for their safety, he reached out and offered help if they ran into trouble.

Political awakening

According to Loginova, she didn’t anticipate that the authorities would accuse Stoptime of “organizing unsanctioned rallies,” but that’s exactly what happened. Shortly before her first arrest in October, she said, she began to suspect that law enforcement was listening to her phone calls.

On the day police came for her, officers first appeared at the home of one of her bandmates. When Loginova learned this, she decided to stay with a friend. While speaking on the phone, she mentioned her suspicion that the call was being monitored.

“[My friend] said, ‘Come on — who would be listening to you?’” Loginova recalled. “I said, ‘Alright, fine, talk.’ She gave me her address. And it was at that address that the police showed up.”

During her interrogation, officers told her she was being prosecuted for performing songs by Monetochka and Noize MC. They threatened to beat other members of the group if she didn’t reveal their whereabouts, and tried to force her to record an apology video, warning that refusal could lead to a lengthy prison sentence.

In Loginova’s view, the issue wasn’t simply that Stoptime sang those songs, but that they drew large crowds: not only did people listen, they joined in.

A new ‘Shaman’

Loginova said that State Duma deputy Mikhail Romanov, who publicly claimed responsibility for reporting the musicians to the authorities, played a key role through the group’s persecution. In an interview with Fontanka, Romanov said he hoped the case would lead to felony charges.

Dud also spoke to Loginova’s mother about Romanov’s role in the band’s persecution. In late November, she said, the lawmaker contacted her and offered to “help” resolve the situation. According to her, this would have required her daughter to publicly apologize to the residents of St. Petersburg for the anti-war songs and perform for wounded veterans of the war against Ukraine.

“He said that if Diana did this, she’d become a star,” Loginova’s mother recalled. “Any stage she wanted, street or concert hall, would be open to her. He said, ‘We want to make her the second Shaman.’ I told him, ‘No one needs a second Shaman. Let her stay Diana.’”

According to her mother, Romanov then threatened to push for a seven-year prison sentence. Loginova refused the deal.

Leaving Russia

By the end of her third administrative sentence, Loginova said, she feared she would not be released and that a criminal case was imminent. A few days before her sentence expired, however, an officer from Russia’s Anti-Extremism Center told her she would soon be freed. He later escorted her out of jail, ensuring she couldn’t speak to journalists, and handed her over to her mother.

By that point, Loginova said, she knew she needed to leave Russia. Given the threats she’d received, staying felt too dangerous — a concern later reinforced, she noted, by a statement Romanov published after her departure accusing her and her bandmates of being used by “extremists.”

On November 23, reports emerged that Loginova had flown to Yerevan. Her mother said she had no choice but to go into exile alongside her daughter. Soon after arriving, Loginova and Orlov performed a street concert on Northern Avenue, Yerevan’s main pedestrian thoroughfare. On December 3, they were spotted attending a show by the Kharkiv-based band 5’nizza.

At the time, Loginova told Vot Tak that Armenia was only a temporary stop while she waited for documents to relocate to a third country. Two weeks later, she and Orlov appeared onstage alongside Monetochka at a concert in Vilnius.