Celebrity rock stars, writers, rappers, film directors, and others record videos to support Ivan Golunov
Dozens of prominent Russians in spheres from music to journalism to literature recorded video messages in support of Meduza correspondent Ivan Golunov. Golunov was placed under house arrest for two months on accusations of drug possession with intent to distribute, and the charges against him may carry up to 20 years in prison. Golunov argues that police officers planted drugs in his backpack and in his apartment. Both Meduza’s editorial board and numerous other journalists are also convinced that Golunov is being persecuted due to his work investigating corruption in Moscow and around Russia.
While English subtitles are not available for the celebrity support videos, Meduza has compiled them into a single playlist, and they can be viewed in Russian below. The videos include many public figures who have gained prominence outside Russia, including media personality and former presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak, rapper Oxxxymiron, TV host Vladimir Pozner, DDT bandleader Yuri Shevchuk, prose writer Ludmila Ulitskaya (The Big Green Tent; Daniel Stein, Interpreter), rock critic and producer Mikhail Kozyrev, rock musician Boris Grebenshikov, film director Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Loveless), and others.
