Volodymyr Kotlyarov, the leader of the Russian punk band Pornofilma, left Russia ten days after the start of the offensive against Ukraine, “fed up”. Singer Shaman, on the contrary, stayed and sang patriotic songs in front of crowded halls, reports AFP.

Like these two singers, the conflict split the Russian music world: some artists went into exile and denounced the Kremlin’s policies on stage, while others sang odes to the military.

Volodymyr Kotlyarov from Dubna, a small town north of Moscow, recalls that after Vladimir Putin’s decision to send Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022, he was “disgusted by a society that barely reacted.”

“I realized that it would be difficult for me to live among such indifferent people,” he told AFP during his band’s concert in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, in mid-May.

The singer, who now lives in Tbilisi, Georgia, says the conflict plunged him into a “black hole, a void”: “I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t accept it. Months passed, I lived in anticipation, but nothing changed, it was terrible.”

“I got the impression that everything we did before was pointless because we could not stop the war,” continues Volodymyr Kotlyarov. After months of not writing, he says inspiration has returned.

His group, which was already known for its texts with sharp criticism of the authorities in Russia, opposes the attack on Ukraine and activates “charity” concerts for the benefit of Ukrainian refugees.

“Music is a kind of therapy. Maybe for some of our listeners it’s also therapy,” says the 35-year-old punk rock performer. “If it helps people, we should keep going.”

Shut up or run

The members of the band “Pornofilmy” are not alone in this situation. On the streets of Yerevan, dozens of posters announce concerts of Russian groups or singers who have gone into exile, such as Nogou Svelo and Borys Grebenchchikov.

For many Russians in exile, these artists are a connection to their country.

Oleksiy Nebolsine, a 19-year-old computer scientist who attended the Pornofilmy concert in the Armenian capital, said he felt a “surge of strength” while listening to them and was sure he would return one day to “build a free and democratic Russia.” .

“My Russia is in prison. But, believe me, it will pass,” Volodymyr Kotlyarov sings on stage, the hall echoes him. “Leaders leave, artists stay. This is a Soviet proverb,” ​​says the musician, smiling.

“I’m glad to see that my favorite group expresses its position openly, without compromise and without fear,” agrees 35-year-old Olga Smirnova, who has been living in Yerevan since the spring of 2022.

Musicians who oppose the conflict and remain in Russia have a choice between silence or submission.

Several singers, such as Yurii Shevchuk, were fined for criticism and their concerts were cancelled.

But not all musicians are against the attack on Ukraine.

“I’m lucky, I’m Russian, against the whole world”

In Zelenograd, northwest of Moscow, the audience gathers for a concert by the pop singer Shaman, the new star of the big “patriotic” concerts organized by the Kremlin.

His song “I am Russian” has been viewed 35 million times on YouTube. “I’m lucky, I’m Russian, against the whole world,” goes the chorus.

In a sign of the importance the government places on these artists, Shaman even sang the Russian national anthem with Putin during a concert last September dedicated to Moscow’s alleged annexation of occupied territories in Ukraine.

In January, he spoke to Russian soldiers in Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city captured by Moscow after a devastating siege.

“I like his songs because they are patriotic. I am a patriot. His songs move me to tears,” Yuliya Shevchenko, a 23-year-old employee of the state company, told AFP before the Shaman concert in Zelenograd.

“This is what we need to unite the country and the nation,” added the girl wearing a T-shirt with the inscription “I am Russian”.

41-year-old hairdresser Tetyana Morozova says that she supports Shaman in his choice in favor of military intervention in Ukraine: “Go ahead, Russia! We will win,” she said, criticizing the exiled musicians as “traitors.”

Shaman declined to be interviewed by AFP. As well as a dozen other groups that support the Kremlin’s military campaign.