Two musicians detained on Arbat

Two musicians were detained for playing on the Arbat. One of them, Aleksey Shulga, who was previously detained in St. Petersburg, told OVD-Info that they were taken to the Arbat district administration due to a complaint from a local resident. Previously, it was erroneously reported that the musicians were taken to the police department. According to Shulga, the tools were taken away from him and his partner Marat Sitdikov, but they promised to return them after they paid the fine under Art. 11.13 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (trade by hand and the provision of services to the population in unspecified places). At the same time, Shulga claims that, although there was a case next to the musicians in which a reward could be put, this cannot be called a collection of money for the provision of services.

Together with the musicians, according to Shulga, a certain “man with pigeons” was also detained, apparently offering people to take pictures with birds. He has already been released, they just made a report on him, while, as Shulga said, the police said that this was not the first time he had been detained, but there was “nothing to take” from him. According to Shulga, the musicians are not detained at the moment, no one is forcing them to be in the government building, but their instruments are in the office where protocols are drawn up.