The Moscow Times
Zemfira, one of Russia’s leading rock artists, has released an anti-war music video amid her country’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
The iconic musician on Friday deleted all her existing videos from YouTube, replacing them with a new clip for her 2017 song “Don’t Shoot.”
The video contains footage from Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine as well as from anti-war protests in Moscow, where some 15,000 people have been detained.
Russia has clamped down hard on anti-war sentiment since it launched its invasion on Feb. 24. The country has banned referring to the “special military operation” as a “war” or “invasion” as well as passed a law that would see anyone who reports information on the war from non-Russian-state sources liable to up to 15 years in prison.
“Don't be silent! In this crumbling ground, we will die. Don’t be silent," Zemfira sings in the song originally written during Russia's war in Chechnya.
The only other video currently on her YouTube page is a 2008 live cover of the song "Vidpusty" by famous Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy (Elza’s Ocean).
The singer's official website now only carries the words "нет войне" (no to war).
Zemfira, who performed a concert in Moscow on the day the invasion began, has been reported to have since left the country.