Russian teenager Diana Loginova, an 18-year-old street musician performing under the stage name Naoko with her band Stoptime, has been handed another 13-day jail sentence in St. Petersburg for a new public order offence. Loginova and her fiancé, the band’s guitarist Alexander Orlov, have already served multiple short jail terms and fines after performing songs critical of the Kremlin, drawing attention on social media and prompting young fans to join their street concerts.
Loginova’s performances included cover versions of tracks by exiled Russian artists such as Noize MC and Monetochka, whose songs carry anti-war and anti-Putin messages. Authorities have labeled some of these artists as “foreign agents,” and critics of the government in Russia face intense scrutiny, especially since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Loginova has also been fined for “discrediting the army” and previously jailed for “petty hooliganism,” highlighting the strict enforcement of wartime censorship.
Rights groups like Amnesty International have condemned the repeated arrests, describing them as “carousel arrests” used to prolong detention without formal criminal charges. Loginova still faces additional charges that could result in further fines. Her mother expressed confusion over the authorities’ attention, insisting her daughter and the band had done nothing wrong.
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