Swan Lake became an unexpected symbol of political upheaval in the late years of the Soviet Union. It was broadcast on state TV on a loop following the death of Russian leaders and a failed political coup in 1991, which ushered in the collapse of the USSR.
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The song’s title also references Lake Co-operative in north-west Russia, to which members of Putin’s inner circle travel for holidays. In the lyrics, Alekseev refers directly to Putin, saying: “Let the old man shake in fear for his lake.”
ASt Petersburg court this year ruled that the song amounted to “propaganda for violent change of the foundations of the constitutional order” and argued it was “harmful to minors” and to their “moral and ethical development”.
The video of crowds chanting its chorus sparked outrage on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, with prominent propagandists calling for those involved to be punished immediately. So far, no arrests have been reported.
There have been reports of other public gatherings this northern summer in St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, where bands and crowds of young people have sung anti-war songs together, often including more of Alekseev’s work.
Echo of Soviet times
Under Russia’s censorship laws, any material designated “extremist” is effectively prohibited. As of July, anyone caught accessing outlawed content will also be labelled as an extremist and can be punished.
For musicians, the new laws have evoked Soviet-era suppression of the music scene, when authorities deemed rock musicians an ideological threat to the communist regime and forced them underground.
A Noize MC song imagines Russia after Vladimir Putin.Credit: AP
Despite Alekseev’s music being banned on Russian platforms, millions of Russians still listen to it in bars, stream cover versions online or use VPNs to access it on YouTube.
Last month, Alekseev told The Atlantic: “People don’t want to hear, think or talk about the war. They push it out of their conscience.”
He also described the “indifference” of his compatriots towards the nearly four-year conflict as a tragedy.
In another song, called Yes Future! he asks Russians to imagine a future for the country free of Putin and his repressive regime.
The lyrics say: “The weather will be great in St Petersburg! Someone good will end up in power / And everything will be fixed unexpectedly / The bastards will be punished – no one will get away with it.”
