Actor Arthur Smolyaninov, known in Russia as a foreign agent and listed among terrorists and extremists, spoke in a Dozhd TV interview about his new musical project cheLovek, a group he helped form and which is gearing up to release its first album.
According to Smolyaninov, the band has completed a first mini album and is preparing for a major milestone: a full-scale concert in Latvia scheduled within a month. He described this period as a transitional phase that has now yielded a complete program and a new record ready for public listening.
Smolyaninov noted that the members of cheLovek come from a “new life” that he did not know a year and a half earlier. The collaboration appears to be built on fresh ties and a shared purpose, rather than established history, moving the project beyond previous creative confines.
In early September, Smolyaninov stated that he does not foresee returning to Russia or changing his stance about staying abroad. He suggested there are no signs of imminent political shifts that would alter his situation. He recalled that even before the dissolution of the Soviet Union there were hints of upcoming changes, and he now views online “experts” who discuss potential preconditions for reforms with a certain irony and skepticism.
Earlier reports mentioned that Alla Pugacheva had returned to Russia, a detail that also figures in conversations about the country’s evolving cultural landscape and the movements of public figures amid shifting political dynamics.