Hundreds of Russians have called for Putin to be overthrown in a show of public dissent against the dictator in St. Petersburg. 

A massive crowd was seen joining street musicians at Kazanskaya Square to sing banned anti-war lyrics on October 13.

Russian citizens energetically sang along to “Co-operative Swan Lake” by Noize MC, a rapper who supports Ukraine, as a band performed in the historic square.

They shouted in Russian, questioning, “Where have you been for the past eight years, you terrible creatures? I want to see the ballet, let the swans perform. Let your leader get excited for Swan Lake.”

The song’s lyrics also mention: “Once the ruler is gone, we’ll celebrate again. The old leader won’t release his hold on power, stuck in the past. He hides in the bunker, living as if it’s still 1985.”

This track has turned into a sort of anti-war anthem for young Russians who have grown weary of Putin’s rule and his actions in Ukraine, which are now escalating to affect areas within Russia itself.

Noize MC, whose real name is Ivan Alekseev, fled to Lithuania shortly after Russia launched its invasion in 2022. 

A St. Petersburg court banned the distribution of the song in May, following a lawsuit in April. 

A massive crowd was seen joining street musicians at Kazanskaya Square to sing banned anti-war lyrics on October 13

According to Russian media, cops arrested Diana Loginova, the 18-year-old singer who led the chants. 

She will reportedly be charged with an administrative offence for organising a large gathering in a public place. 

Her mother, Irina, told local media that her daughter was not political and only chose to sing the song because of its popularity. 

Irina stated, “Diana stays with me and I’m always looking out for her. I frequently attend her shows and then bring her home. We’re very close, and I am confident she has no political agenda!”

‘Moreover, she’s a patriot of our country, she loves Russia very much and has no plans to leave! She has no intention of supporting Ukraine! 

“Diana’s song choices reflect her favorite musicians. Her fans enjoy these tracks—that’s the sole reason she sings them. It’s because the audience requests it, and she delivers. There is no hidden agenda, no ill intent. My daughter isn’t trying to incite or promote any particular message.”

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has begun hurting Russian citizens’ bottom lines, as Ukraine takes the fight to them. 

This week, Ukrainian drones set an oil terminal in Feodosia, in Russian-occupied Crimea, alight. 

With a capacity of up to 250,000 tons of the valuable substance, it is the Crimean Peninsula’s largest oil storage and transshipment hub. 

Ukraine has massively escalated its drone campaign against strategic Russian targets, taking out oil and gas infrastructure in a bid to kill the funding for Putin’s war machine. 

The successful strikes have massively pushed gasoline prices to record highs, and have caused fuel shortages across Russia. 

Last week, Ukraine’s commander in chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed that his forces had crippled Russia’s oil-processing capabilities by 21%. 

The public performance comes as Kyiv postures to obtain long-range missiles capable of striking Russian targets. 

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior Ukrainian adviser, posted on X that Ukraine is seeking cruise missiles, air defense systems and joint drone production agreements from the United States.

In this photo taken on Oct.13, 2025 and provided by Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized Brigade press service, crows fly over the ruins and smoke in Kostiantynivka, a frontline town

Firefighters extinguish a burning car after Russian ballistic missile attack on the Skhidny neighborhood of Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine on October 14, 2025

Raytheon produces Patriot air defense systems, which have been vital for Ukrainian efforts to counter Russian long-range strikes, and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Kyiv officials are keen to obtain Tomahawks, which could allow Ukraine to strike targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow, accurately and with large warheads.

Lockheed Martin also manufactures a wide array of sophisticated weapon systems that can help Ukraine.

While Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is widely expected to request Trump’s go-ahead at the Oval Office to procure Tomahawks, Washington has hesitated over such a move out of concern that it could escalate the war and deepen tensions between the United States and Russia.

However, Trump on Sunday warned Russia that he may send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if Moscow doesn’t end its war there soon – possibly using that threat to increase the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to compromise.

‘If this war does not end, if there is no path to peace in the short term, then the United States, along with our allies, will take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression,’ US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Ukraine’s Western backers, gathered at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

‘If we must take this step, the US War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do,’ he said.

Putin said that Tomahawks wouldn’t change the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in published remarks Sunday that the issue of Tomahawks is ‘of extreme concern’ to Moscow.