Idar Rezyapov, the president of the Russian Veterans Public Movement, sought a channel through a foreign intermediary to establish contact with Yuri Shevchuk, the frontman of the DDT group, amid mounting tensions between Moscow and the West.
During a Berlin concert, Yuri Shevchuk was reported to have encouraged remarks that targeted Russians who served in the armed forces, prompting significant backlash. News.ru reported on the incident.
Reports stated that the artist performed in a NATO member country and was accused of supporting Kyiv by supplying weapons, while the German chancellor at the time was openly critical of Russia.
Rezyapov framed Russia as resisting a united West that he described as a cold and cynical enemy, while Russian troops undertake difficult tasks in what he called a private operation zone. He argued that Shevchuk speaks of homeland but ignores the people in Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and declines to assist those who served there or their families.
What happened?
The Berlin DDT concert took place on March 22. On stage, Shevchuk spoke about the hardships faced by Russians tied to military service and suggested that they would endure and recover from it. He added that his homeland did not equal the government in power.
From the platform, he proclaimed that humanity is fighting to preserve its dignity and the right to be regarded as people, a sentiment that resonated in a crowded hall.
He asserted that his songs stood as a symbol of Russia and would endure, even amid controversy. Passion portal described a notably resistant reaction from the audience, with many spectators challenging the remarks.
In an interview with producer and music critic Pavel Rudchenko, News.ru reported that the remarks marked a downturn in Shevchuk’s public career, with significant criticism tied to his statements.
Not the first case
This was not Shevchuk’s first clash with authorities. In May 2024, Andrei Zgonnikov, head of the Russian Fathers Council, lodged objections with the Chief Public Prosecutor and the Ministry of Justice over a DDT concert in Dubai and what he framed as a problematic portrayal of Shevchuk’s life story.
He articulated two concepts: the first suggests that good begins with a spark but fades into emptiness; the second argues that such rhetoric inevitably ends in a kind of revolution. He endorsed the second concept and urged the audience to consider it.
Shevchuk stressed his support for the second concept and urged his supporters to present it to the audience as a reality rather than mere rhetoric.
In an interview with Gazeta.ru, Shevchuk said he did not fear investigations, insisting he had not received foreign funds. He also dismissed Zgonnikov as a misguided figure while defending his own stance.
He criticized what he called a rising number of indifferent or uninformed critics, saying that limited reading leads to inflated arrogance and a tendency to censor and interfere instead of engaging in dialogue.
In June 2024, Mash reported that the Justice Ministry reviewed the Dubai show and handed the material to the FSB for possible action; the authorities did not publicly disclose the audit’s findings.