Music streaming service Spotify has removed the pages of several Russian musicians who openly support President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.Independent Russian media reported on Thursday.
Artists removed from the world’s largest music streaming platform include Shaman, Chicherina, Polina Gagarina, Grigory Leps, Oleg Gazmanov and the rock group “Lyube”.
European Union Authorized Gagarina, 37 years old, Along with 68 others, for supporting Putin’s war in June.
The EU cited Gagarina, who broke out at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, for giving a performance at a political rally in Moscow in March in support of the war and Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Canada imposed sanctions on Gagarina in 2023 for spreading Russian propaganda, and several of her concerts were canceled after she appeared at a pro-Putin political rally in March.
The EU Authorized Shaman is a 32-year-old singer whose real name is Yaroslav Yuryevich Dronov. On Monday, he said he had “repeatedly attended concerts organized by the Kremlin, including [the Ukraine] During the war, we gave concerts in the illegally occupied territories of Ukraine.”
The EU also noted that the Shamans performed “as part of military entertainment events for the Russian Armed Forces.”
The EU Authorized Leps, Gazmanov and the band “Lyube” It will expel Russia in 2022 for “actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”
Spotify is no longer available in Russia. Paused operation In March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Spotify removed its content from Russian state-run media.
The company said President Putin’s authoritarian media laws, which threaten anyone who slanders the Russian military with up to 15 years in prison, were the main reason it could no longer do business in Russia.
“Unfortunately, recently enacted laws that further restrict access to information, eliminate freedom of expression, and criminalize certain types of news put the safety of Spotify employees, and potentially our listeners, at risk,” the company said.
Spotify Said of The Moscow Times The company said on Thursday that the content it removed from Russian artists met its criteria for content that “clearly violates our content policies and local laws.”
The streaming service noted speculation in Russian media that the pages of the artists in question had been hacked, and clarified that they had been deliberately removed at the behest of Spotify management.
of The Moscow Times He noted that banned pro-Putin artists can still be found on platforms such as Apple Music and YouTube, at least for now.
Spotify continues to host other artists whose practices are reprehensible or legally questionable, including: Diddywho was Caught In Video hitting on girlfriend; R. Kellywho was Convicted that he had threatened and sexually abused a young fan; Vavaa popular Chinese female rap artist. openly support Genocidal tyranny in Beijing.
