Rare Protest in St Petersburg: Crowds Chant Anti-Putin Songs
In a display of defiance, hundreds of Russians gathered in St. Petersburg on Tuesday to sing a song critical of President Putin and the war in Ukraine. The song, “Cooperative Swan Lake,” originally written by exiled pro-Ukrainian rapper Noize MC (Ivan Alexeyev), had been outlawed in May 2025 after a St. Petersburg court deemed it “extremist.” Viral social media videos captured the crowd and street musicians performing the song, which calls for Putin’s removal.
John Q. Hosedrinker