Russian pop star Shaman announced that he plans to stage a concert outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on Friday evening in response to major Western streaming platforms removing his songs.
“As you know, America blocked my YouTube channel simply because I’m Russian and I’m ready to answer back,” Shaman, whose real name is Yaroslav Dronov, said in a video published on his social media accounts.
YouTube and Spotify in recent weeks blocked the channels of Shaman and other Russian artists who openly support Moscow’s war on Ukraine. The moves followed a decision last month by the EU to sanction pro-war musicians for performing in occupied Ukraine and “participating in state-sponsored propaganda events.”
Contrary to Shaman’s claims, YouTube blocked his channel in response to warnings from Lithuanian broadcasting authorities that continuing to host his content would violate EU sanctions. The pro-war artist was among those sanctioned by the bloc in June.
Shaman, filmed carrying a Russian flag in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square, urged fans to join him near the U.S. Embassy at 9:00 p.m. Moscow time for his impromptu concert.
“They want to erase, delete and cancel my songs, which millions of people came to love,” the pop star said. “As much as they try, they won’t succeed because we’re one family, we’re unified, we’re the truth and strength — we’re Russia.”
“We’ll show them. And believe me, victory is around the corner,” Shaman added.
Videos and images shared by Russian media on Friday showed a stage and speakers installed outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Journalists spotted anti-American banners and a paper mockup of a Russian ICBM with the phrase “On Washington” in large print nearby.
Shaman emerged from relative obscurity after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has become one of the most recognizable faces of wartime Russia’s propaganda machine, with signature songs including “I’m Russian,” “My Fight” and “Alive.”
An anonymously run Telegram news channel that positions itself as a source of insider information, VChK-OGPU, claimed on Friday that the Kremlin had approved Shaman’s “protest show” outside the U.S. embassy to “denounce ‘American imperialism’ and convey the protest of ordinary Russians to the U.S. government.”
The channel added, however, that concert attendees had been picked out by the Moscow Mayor’s Office in advance and were paid to go to the event.
The Moscow Times could not independently verify that report, which did not cite its sources.
