Danish rapper conscripted into Russian military wins court battle to annul contract

A Danish rapper whose rejection of “European values” and support for Vladimir Putin led him to migrate to Russia last year, has won a legal battle to terminate a contract he signed with the Russian Defence Ministry, independent news outlet Mediazona reported on Thursday.

Nicklas Hoffgaard, who performed in Denmark under the name Stanley Most before announcing his retirement in 2018, was initially granted a Russian residence permit in 2023. However, after experiencing problems trying to extend it, he decided to sign a contract with the Russian Defence Ministry in the hope of obtaining Russian citizenship.

Hoffgaard, 33, had expected to become a border guard in Siberia, according to Mediazona, but was instead sent to eastern Ukraine to serve in a unit responsible for launching drone strikes, where he complained that his fellow soldiers considered him a spy and forced him to drink vodka.

Roman Petrov, Hoffgaard’s lawyer, told the court that his client had not understood the terms of the contract he signed as he does not speak Russian. Despite the court ruling in his favour, Hoffgaard may still have to face another trial at a military court in Novosibirsk before being able to return home, Mediazona reported.

On Monday Vladimir Putin signed a decree designed to simplify the relocation process for foreign citizens who want to move to Russia because they support “traditional Russian spiritual and moral values” and oppose the “neoliberal ideology” of their home countries.