State Duma Deputy Elena Drapeko spoke in an interview with News.ru, arguing that punishing people for singing Ukrainian songs is a poor choice. She interpreted the court’s ruling against Crimean residents who danced to the song Party by Verka Serdyuchka as a misguided move and labeled the crackdown on Ukrainian music as silly.
Drapeko emphasized that the actions of Crimea’s residents did not harm or affect her personally. She noted there was no justification to file police reports over performances of songs that are not classified as extremist. She suggested that if someone sang the Ukrainian anthem or offered praise for it, the situation would be more understandable; otherwise, the reaction appeared arbitrary, in her view.
On August 11, reports surfaced that three female animators in a water park in Alushta, Crimea, were fined for dancing to a Ukrainian song commonly associated with Verka Serdyuchka. The court characterized the performance as singing and dancing to a provocative Ukrainian tune. Law enforcement officials argued that the girls provoked visitors into confrontation with their actions.
Each of the women received a fine of 15,000 rubles, and it later emerged that some had been laid off from their jobs as a consequence. The decision drew attention to how acts perceived as cultural expression are treated under local regulations, raising questions about freedom of artistic demonstration in public spaces.
Earlier, blogger Lerchek did not attend the court hearing, leaving questions about the narrative surrounding the incident unresolved.