Teenager jailed for playing anti-Kremlin song on the streets of St Petersburg
(www.independent.co.uk)
from throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to world@lemmy.world on 28 Oct 2025 15:22
https://lemmy.nz/post/29911827
from throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to world@lemmy.world on 28 Oct 2025 15:22
https://lemmy.nz/post/29911827
#world
threaded - newest
Fascist regime is fascist.
A KGB spy and a CIA agent meet up in a bar in Berlin for a friendly drink
CIA Agent says: Why do you like Russia so much? You have no freedom. In the USA, you can stand in front of the White House in Washington, DC, and yell, “Down with Ronald Reagan”, and you will not be punished.
KGB Agent smiles and shakes his head: Nonsense, you can also stand in Red Square in Moscow and yell, “Down with Ronald Reagan”, and you will not be punished, either.
lemmy.ml in a nutshell
<img alt="" src="https://fivethirtyeight.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/backfire_5.jpg">
Today it is the US president yelling “Down with Ronald Reagan(s advert)”
Nowadays the President is also a KGB asset.
A KGB spy and a CIA agent meet up in a bar for a friendly drink.
“I have to admit, I’m always so impressed by Soviet propaganda. You really know how to get people worked up,” the CIA agent says.
“Thank you,” the KGB says. “We do our best, but truly, it’s nothing compared to American propaganda. Your people believe everything your state media tells them.”
The CIA agent drops his drink in shock and disgust. “Thank you friend, but you must be confused… There’s no propaganda in America.”
The KGB smiles and says “Exactly”.
Every time I see a picture of a Russian activist its the most beautiful person ive ever seen. What are they putting in the water over there???
Ah, the Nadezhda Tolokonnikova effect
How tf you gonna fight back against someone who looks like this? If this woman told me I was doing something wrong I’d hang myself
A raving beauty now, but at age 38 she’ll turn into a beautiful babushka! Something about the water…
.. and prison
American vibes.
This generation’s Pussy Riot?
I know folks hate the us peanut gallery with this but this is exactly the type of things we were told made russia worse than the us and now people are arrested for playing innocuous songs in front of ice facilities. Heck even prayers by actual clergy results in being shot in the head.
I remember monsters of rock or whatever it was. I was hugely into Pantera, my parents hated Pantera. Pantera played to the largest audience in the fucking world after the fall of the commie scum, suddenly, Pantera ain’t so fucking bad.
RIP Dime and Vinnie.
Except that the frontman is a fucking nazi
yes i too enjoy doing things i know will send me into jail and be put on my record.
The point is to show how fucked up and authoritarian your current government is. Someone just got arrested by the police in the US for playing the Darth Vader song to protest the National Guard. So yeah, we’re about as fucked as Russia right now.
i dont live in the US, but its funny you use the word authoritarian, people in Canada on the right call liberals/left that.
I’m confused, what are you hinting at with this comment?
no its interesting because it defines horseshoe theory more clearly. there really is a lot of ideals both extreme sides share.
Explain more, I’m still confused.
well things like hating the jews, authoritarian, hating each others races, its really interesting because I’m curious what the driving force is behind it, despite the base ideals being different. There has to be some innate human reaction that causes similar rationality.
Still really confused, you’re gonna have to explain more about your personal views.
can’t help you there, sorry.
Thats a shame you can’t express your personal beliefs more.
ok buddy.
how are the left ever authoritarian, when it has always been right wing governments, USSR, and CCP are not left wing, they are more to the right.
I dunno, ask the guy with the 1985 Mustang.
Horseshoe theory only holds up if you believe that all of politics is on a 1 dimensional spectrum from left to right. That’s simply not that case. There are anti-authoritarian right wingers and leftists alike, just as there are authoritarian right wingers and leftists alike and everything in between, below, and to the side.
You probably see Stalin and Hitler and say, “See! Both authoritarians!” But, like, yeah… That’s the problem. That’s not even pointing out anything meaningful.
It really is though, it points out let’s not do that again.
Right, but that’s already a given. What about anti-authoritarian leftists?
Are you okay about doing time for a song?
being edgy like this doesn’t do anything to overthrow putin.
It’s not that edgy.
18yo is jailed for a couple of songs lol.
It won’t do anything, right, but that what I and them should be free to do.
its pretty edgy to get yourself throw into jail for something stupid you know will put you there.
Not when you know it’s wrong for it to be a jailable offence. That is literally what the act of protest is.
If your highest goal is self-preservation, then yeah, it doesn’t make sense. However, protestors like this usually care about something more important than themselves. It’s what drives them to put themselves out there, knowing they could be at risk for doing so.
I’m sure we could disagree on what specific things would make sense to potentially sacrifice one’s self for, but I hope the simple idea of something being that important at all is relatable. For some it’s their rights, for some it’s their religion, and for some it’s their family, but either way, most people can think of something they consider more important than themselves. It’s that importance that compels people to defend it, despite the personal danger for doing so.
and teenagers are never edgy. most rational phase of a persons life. now in a free country people would understand, but you can of course defend why it’s right to jail kids for playing music.
ok
“hmm, could it be that his sarcasm meant to make a case for irrationality of teenagers? no, i bet he meant it like he wrote it when he said teenagers are known for their rationality.”
rly?
Hey, just like us in the Freedom country of USA.
How long until an anti MAGA song has the same penalty?
I believe this is the song she was playing
Terrible Google translate of the lyrics:
A lot of references to the fall of the USSR
I fucking love “let the swans dance”
What does it mean?
Historically, the USSR would broadcast a recording of the ballet Swan Lake (on loop I think?) when their leader died, and it was also broadcast during the failed coup in 1991. The lyrics in the song that the teenager played, assuming the above translation is correct, are a not-so-subtle call for a certain kind of event…
Them’s some fire lyrics right there. I like it.
Please explain to the lyrics to someone like me who can’t understand them due to a case of severe ADHD, and possibly an undiagnosed learning disability as well.
What to I look like? A special ed. Councilor?
I didn’t mean literally you. I meant anyone reading this. That’s how public forums work. Anyone can reply.
So, some of this is a bit of deep cut of Russian history, which is probably contributing to your confusion.
Here's my take.
___ > I’d like to talk to you, But the TV is too loud— It’s pretending to be your head, Its speaker is so much like your mouth. The artist would like to have a conversation, but the person they want to talk to is just repeating the propaganda they see on TV. > My country has risen from its knees In all its negative growth. I negatively agree with everything— Here’s my answer to your non-question: The USSR fell in the '90s, and the artist doesn’t think modern Russia has developed in a good way. > Where have you been for eight years, Fucking inhuman beings?! I want to watch the ballet— Let the swans dance! Eight years is likely referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ballet bit is talking about how Swan Lake played on repeat during the fall of the USSR, as a placeholder to keep broadcast airwaves available for use as emergency broadcast. Because it has been so completely tied to the idea of political upheaval in Russia, it’s recently picked up steam again as a sort of shorthand for calling for protest and resistance against the government. > Let Grandpa tremble in fear for his “Lake.” Get the nightingales off the screen— Let the swans dance! Grandpa was pro-USSR, the artist wants the empire to hurry up and fall already. > When it’s all over, you’ll be silent And pretend you had nothing to do with it. Your face is more sour than a Crimean cherry plum: You’re clearly slightly depressed about something. Once the USSR had fallen, a lot of people tried to deny their support or involvement with it. The song repeats a few things, and the only thing left of note is that “Solovyov” has been a news anchor on Russian television since shortly before the invasion of Ukraine.
Hey, I’ll do my best, here is my take;
Someone feeling frustration over wanting to talk about things but the person can’t hear them because they only listen to and regurgitate what the TV (main stream media or government controlled media) wants them to say.
We were getting back up after the fall of the USSR when everything fell apart and cratered. I don’t agree with what is going on, even though you didn’t ask I am going to tell you how I feel about all this anyway.
This has been going on for 8 years now and you have turned a blind eye to it. I want to watch Swan Lake again at the ballet (referencing Russia’s primary artistic exports historically is ballet, of which Swan Lake is one of the most popular/wellknown)
Not entirely sure what this is referring to, my best guess is juxtaposing story elements of Swan Lake to current political happenings in Russia, ie comparing Putin to a grandpa and lake may be ambiguous as a reference to Swan Lake and Putin’s lakeside palace.
When we, or future generations, fix this you are just going to pretend you had nothing to do with it, you’re a liar, like the lies they tell us about why we have the right to invade Crimea in Ukraine to justify our war with an innocent country. You know it is wrong but you keep lying to yourself about why.
Repeat of the first verse; Someone feeling frustration over wanting to talk about things but the person can’t hear them because they only listen to and regurgitate what the TV (main stream media or government controlled media) wants them to say.
Repeat of the second verse but changing “Fucking inhuman monsters” to “fucking monsters”
Repeat of the first line in the fourth verse but changing fear to tremble, again most likely referencing Putin and him willing to sacrifice the people of Russia in order to keep his extreme wealth and lake side palace.
Solovyov is a famous TV presenter in Russia, which I believe the speaker believes, or is inferring, is a government shill or otherwise bought off to only report what Putin wants him to report. So they are demanding Solovyov be removed from TV and to give the people back their freedom (swans dancing)
Hope that helped if you were being sincere about needing assistence to understand it. I have ADHD myself and have several friends with both ADHD and learning disabilities (they are co-morbidities of ADHD) so I can understand the frustration.
I was being sincere. Thank you.
As someone in their late 30s with a recent diagnosis, I’m beginning to learn just how stigmatized my condition is. It’s beyond frustrating when I get dismissed as just being lazy by even my own friends and family.
[Incoming Rant]
Nobody understands the struggle unless they have it. They don’t seem to understand that it’s a lot more than just forgetfulness and an inability to process long blocks of text. It is a full-blown disability that has been holding me back from reaching my full potential. Hell, I didn’t even move out of my parents’ house until my 30s due to my condition. Even other people with ADHD don’t seem to understand that there’s different levels of severity, and I’m on the more extreme end of the spectrum.
[/rant]
So again, thank you for being kind.
The main thing is probably the reference to the Swan’s lake which has traditionally (for many, many decades) been used to replace tv programs whenever a top official died while the succession was sorted out. That was to make sure nobody would say anything out of line.
So asking for the ballet is asking for putin to be replaced, which is obviously bad.
Crazy how it went from this 5 months ago to this two weeks ago, talk about Streisand effect
This kind of thing coming to 'merica thanks to Taco and pals.
It’s already there.
only jailed? america’s best allies in the middleeast would have killed her and sentenced her entire family to life.
whataboutism
Russia being a tolitarian oppressive shithole is old news. I just pointed that the US’s closest allies in the middleeast are a genocidal aparthied that bribes their government, and oppressive dictatorships that enrich their elites with their natural and political resources. All are objectively worse than Russia.
so I agree russia is bad and deserve their sanctions from the US and rest of EU, but where are the sanctions against Israel? it’s lawless hypocracy
Pussy Riot vibes
<img alt="" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Funtitled-magazine.com%2Fonline%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F11%2Fpussy-riot-featured-resized.jpg&f=1&ipt=f8998bdb659aac22bccf00892b1379257e556b04a5646a8f62497c9c67f32899">
O7
Mad respects.
As a Chinese-American, I feel so depressed about the situation of both countries I lived in, tyranny is everywhere. I’m being targeted by both countries and tbh I’m just not brave enough to do actual protests, because I’m scared and I just want to stay under the radar. I’m dealing with a lot of depression, and I don’t think I have the endurance it takes. I already got falsely arrested once by the US Gestapo and I’m still dealing with the PTSD.
If anything it’s not up to you to protest inside the US. Minority opinions have mattered very little inside this country. Its up to the white majority to realize that eventually the rights they take away from others they take away from themselves