Russian activist fined for ‘discrediting army’ over Soviet children’s song lyrics

A Russian activist has been fined for “discrediting” the army after displaying lyrics from a popular Soviet children’s song on a handmade sign, independent news outlet RusNews reported on Wednesday.

Dmitry Rykov, from the city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals, was fined 49,000 rubles (€530) over a solo picket held on 13 December. His sign featured the following lines from May There Always Be Sunshine, a children’s song written in 1962: “Quiet, soldier / Listen, soldier / People are scared of explosions / Thousands of eyes / Stare at the sky / Lips stubbornly repeat / May there always be sunshine.”

A police report said the song had become “a symbol of anti-war protests” and had been used during unauthorised rallies in other Russian cities, which is why Rykov’s sign was found to contain “elements that discredit the Russian armed forces”.

Rykov said his picket was directed against lies and violence, RusNews reported, while its lyrics promoted “kindness, love, and friendship between people”.

This is Rykov’s second fine for “discrediting” the Russian army, meaning he could face criminal charges for a repeat offence.

On 16 December, Rykov was fined 30,000 rubles (€324) for a solo picket featuring an excerpt from Doloy!, a poem written in 1929 by Soviet poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, with the lines: “War is a wind that reeks of a corpse / War is a factory for producing beggars”.