VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITETY FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND DIPLOMACY DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

Marharyta Tsitova

POLITICAL INFLUENCE OF ARTISTS IN IN THE PERIOD FROM 2015 TO 2019

Bachelor Thesis

World Politics and Economics, State Code 612L20009 Political Science Study Field

Supervisor PhD docent EHU Andrei Stsiapanau______

Defended prof. dr. Šarūnas Liekis______

Kaunas, 2020 2

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ...... 5 1.MOBILIZATION AND ACTIVATION OF PROTEST ...... 9 1.1.The theory of the mobilization of protests and the impact on domestic politics ...... 9 1.2.Methodology and literature review ...... 13 2. THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN RUSSIA IN THE SPHERE OF FREEDOMS ...... 16 2.1. Influence of art on politics ...... 16 2.2. Art, literature, and music as a form of protest in the USSR ...... 21 2.3. Political freedoms in Russia ...... 28 3. INFLUENCE OF ARTISTS ON THE POLITICAL SITUATION...... 32 3.1. Case of protest songs ...... 32 3.2. Case of protest filmmaking ...... 39 3.3. Results of actions, the reaction of the authorities ...... 41 CONCLUSION ...... 48 LIST OF LITERATURE AND SOURCES ...... 51 APPENDIX ...... 56 APPENDIX 1. PHOTO MATERIALS ...... 56 APPENDIX 2. INTERVIEW MATERIALS ...... 60

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Abstracts

Marharyta Tsitova

Political influence of artists in Russia in the period from 2015 to 2019

Keywords: art activism, social mobilization, the influence of art, political communication.

The purpose of the bachelor's thesis is to identify the degree of influence of art on politics, to determine the level of resistance from the authorities, as well as to identify the prospects for the development of art as the main tool for ensuring freedom of speech. The tasks are to assess the influence of artists on politics, to determine the level of resistance on the part of the authorities to the actions of artists, to study the phenomenon of social mobilization. The object of the research is artistic engagement and its impact on policymaking in authoritarian Russia. The main theory is the theory of protest mobilizations. Research methods: literature analysis, legal documentation analysis, content analysis of social networks and media sources, interviews. The thesis consists of an introduction, three chapters, and a conclusion. The first chapter considers the theory of protest mobilization and its impact on domestic politics, as well as describes the methodology and reviews the literature. The second chapter reveals the features of the political situation in Russia, political freedoms, and their features, as well as the study of the influence of art on politics in general, the historical context of the USSR, and dissidence. The third chapter is devoted to specific issues of artists ' influence on the political situation. Examples of protest actions in various approaches are considered, as well as positions from the authorities. In conclusion, the results of the research are summarized, and the final conclusions on the topic are formed 4

Аннотация

Маргарита Титова

Политическое влияние художников в России в период с 2015 по 2019

Ключевые слова: арт-активизм, социальная мобилизация, влияние искусства, политическая коммуникация.

Целью бакалаврской работы является выявление степень влияния искусства на политику, определение уровня сопротивления со стороны властей, а также выявление перспектив развития искусства как основного инструмента обеспечения свободы слова. Задачами являются: оценить влияние художников на политику, определить уровень сопротивления со стороны властей действиям художников, изучить феномен социальной мобилизации. Объектом исследования является художественная ангажированность и ее влияние на формирование политики в авторитарной России. Основная теория работы - теория мобилизаций протеста. Методы исследования: анализ литературы, анализ юридической документации, контент-анализ социальных сетей и медиа источников, интервью. Работа состоит из введения, трех глав и заключения. В первой главе рассматривается теория мобилизации протеста и ее влияние на внутреннюю политику, а также описывается методология и дается обзор литературы. Во второй главе раскрываются особенности политической ситуации в России, политические свободы и их особенности, а также исследование влияния искусства на политику в целом, исторический контекст СССР и диссидентство. Третья глава посвящена конкретным вопросам влияния художников на политическую ситуацию. Рассматриваются примеры протестных акций в различных подходах, а также обратная связь с властями. В заключение подводятся итоги проведенного исследования, формируются окончательные выводы по рассматриваемой теме.

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INTRODUCTION

In the age of the Internet and social networks, it is easy to achieve fame and become an opinion leader. Declaring position among artists is becoming popular. Art is the freedom of speech and expression, so it is directly a tool for expressing political views. Art people become a strong voice in the masses, promoting their ideas, they change the agenda. The oppression of society in post-soviet countries contributed to the fact that citizens were afraid to express their opinions. But in the modern world artists can protest injustice. This bachelor's thesis examines Russia as an undemocratic country, where there are many examples of radical and liberal artists who carry the word to the masses and change domestic politics. They release music videos, draw graffiti, and perform performances to attract public opinion to the problem. They are discriminated against by the authorities, but citizens come out to protest in their defense and sign petitions. The relevance of the bachelor's thesis lies in the detailed disclosure of the influence of modern culture and its persons on the events and development of the country's politics. Development of domestic policy takes the country to new levels, and the work examines how this is interlinked with art and its persons. This thesis considers the last five years, during which Russia has had a lot of political changes. The vitality of the paper can be characterized by the fact that the selected period and specific examples show a paradigm that can be applied to the study of earlier events, as well as subsequent ones. The importance of the paper is to consider results that artists achieve in their work, as far as they manage to attract the masses for themselves and influence a process. The significance of the work is an assessment of the actions of the authorities aimed at artists, whether it is legitimate and as artists, musicians, writers, directors, etc. they can protect themselves from prison terms, harassment, oppression of their families, fines. Is it possible to «speak» an artist in an undemocratic country and not be punished for it? In this study is necessary to analyze the development of democracy in strongly rooted authoritarianism, the culture of socialism, and the anti-modern views of most of the country's population. Also, there is a need to show the ability to develop politics through social networks as a platform for mobilizing protest actions, an analysis of the ability of individual artists to raise the masses, change their views, and becomes interested in the agenda. 6

Policy development is based on an absence of indifference. And the art that can touch the hearts of the masses, be understandable and accessible. Making a protest through social networks has become easier than ever. If it touches on sensitive political topics, thousands of people will find out about it within a couple of hours. Art is a terrible force and now it is the engine of democracy and peaceful change of approaches and regimes in post-soviet countries. The studied object of the bachelor's thesis is an artistic engagement and it is impact on policy making in authoritarian Russia. The research uses two key concepts. For a detailed understanding of the research, the author's definition must be given. An artist is a person engaged in any type of art, namely visual art, music, texts, and other creative activities. Political influence is any professional action of artists to produce an impact on political decision-making, political events, behavior political personnel. In this bachelor's thesis, a case study was conducted. It was considering four art representatives engaged in the text and the visual art form. Musician and rapper , his political songs and the music video for the song «The Seventh of October», music group IC3PEAK – music video and the song «Death is no more», directed by Elena Pogrebizhskaya with the film «Mother, I will kill you» and art group AES+F with the work of «Inverso Mundus». Each of the artists speaks on highly social topics. These artists were chosen as an example of a radical and liberal approach. And these examples clearly show the difference in the reaction of authorities. Authorities indeed do react negatively on some artists and expose them to repress, positively to others and change the law, and ignore others. The paper considers the reasons for this reaction and each approach. The period selected for the study is from 2015 to 2019. This period is the most important for Russian politics because in 2015 there were results of an active protest movement that began in 2011. This period is divided into 3 years before the presidential election and the year after it. The immutability of the government and the regime, the appearance of opposition speakers, the bright mobilization of the masses-this is how you can determine the period from 2015 to 2019 in Russia. This period includes a reaction of society to the events in Ukraine and Crimea that began in 2013. For artists, 2018 was particularly bright. The election campaign of the current President was accompanied by bans on art and suppression of opponents. The relevance of 7 the selected period is that over the past five years, artists have released the maximum number of clips, performances, exhibitions, films, poems, and paintings about the political situation in the country.1 Discontent with the government, restriction of citizens ' freedoms, increase in tax rates and prices, corruption, lack of fair elections, violation of human rights, and so on. all this does not remain without the attention of art activists. The purpose of the bachelor's paper is to reveal the degree of influence of art on politics, determine the level of resistance from authorities, and identify prospects in favour of the development of the art as a main tool of freedom of speech. On the way to achieving this goal, it is necessary to solve following tasks: to consider the situation in the cultural sphere from a political perspective, to identify the main opinion leaders among artists, musicians, and so on., to assess the impact of their activities on politics, to determine the level of resistance from the authorities to the actions of artists and musicians, to study the phenomenon of social mobilization, to characterize the degree of social activism. The hypothesis for this thesis is: artistic action can change the political agenda, produce an influence on decision-making in authoritarian Russia. Research questions are as follows: what level of political influence can artists achieve? How exactly do artists reach out to the masses? How do the authorities react to the protests? The research will apply the theory of the mobilization of protests, which directly reflects what is happening in Russia in the period from 2015 to 2019. This theory will look up at all the main actions of artists and events in the country. In the framework of working with this theory, it is possible to accurately analyze the relationship between the actions of artists and social protests, the birth of social movements, and the opposition framework. It is a political influence of artists that receives feedback in the form of mass mobilization. To solve all the tasks set in the thesis such methods as literature analysis, analysis of legal documentation, namely, analysis of interviews, video reports, laws, and analysis of public discourse - interviews with government representatives. Other methods are content analysis, interviewing, and historical method. These methods contribute to a detailed study of the tasks. The thesis will consider the state and prospects of modern political culture, the analysis of artists as a response to the actions of the authorities in Russia. Assessment of the activity of young people and their interest and inclusion in the political life of the country at the expense of apolitical

1 Epshtejn Alek D, Art-aktivizm tret'ego sroka Putina. Nasledniki moskovskogo konceptualizma i soc-arta v XXI veke, 2018 8 artists. The process of forming the political culture in Russia takes place in the context of a complex socio-political situation in the Russian society, as well as an aggravated geopolitical situation in the world, which makes it necessary to achieve stability and harmony in the country. In this bachelor's thesis will compare artists who use liberal and radical strategies to achieve their goals. This is necessary to analyze which approach is more productive, who becomes more important to public opinion and is less subject to abuse by the authorities. The structure of the work is determined by the subject, purpose, and objectives of the study. The bachelor’s thesis consists of an introduction, three chapters, and a conclusion. The introduction reveals the relevance, determines the degree of scientific development of the topic, object, purpose, tasks, theory, hypothesis, and research methods, reveals the theoretical and practical significance of the work. The first chapter discusses the theory of protest mobilization and its impact on domestic politics, as well as describes the methodology and provides a review of the literature. The second chapter reveals the features of the political situation in Russia, political freedoms, and their features, as well as the study of the influence of art on politics in general. The third chapter is devoted to specific issues of the influence of artists on the political situation. Examples of protest actions in various approaches are considered, as well as positions from the authorities. In conclusion, the results of the study are summarized, final conclusions are formed on the topic under consideration.

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1. MOBILIZATION AND ACTIVATION OF PROTEST

1.1. The theory of the mobilization of protests and the impact on domestic politics

Protest movements of citizens have an increasing influence on social and political processes in Russia. The modern protest has acquired a new form due to unrestricted Internet access, which has a positive impact on the mobilization of protesters. The established methodological traditions of protest analysis allow us to study it comprehensively, fix its various aspects and dynamics factors. At the same time, new forms of protest continue to appear, one of which is protest within the framework of art. The speed of information dissemination through social networks increases. Technologies for the formation of symbolic values are generated, the development of which is facilitated by the appearance of new artists with increasing popularity.2 The very concept of political protest appeared in the 1960s and covered a wide range of human behavior, leaving without much attention to political protest itself as a subject of scientific research. Political protest can be defined as a combination of active or passive political practices of an individual or collective subject in the form of conventional or unconventional signaling of discontent with the political system or certain aspects of the existing political order in society.3 4 In the competitive regimes that Russia belongs to under the presidency of Vladimir Putin,5 the protest is a form of feedback and becomes a conscious strategy for citizens. This weakens the influence of the economic factor since the subject of protest behavior is guided by a certain strategy that is not tied to the level of income, education, or even residence. The state of deprivation and increased social tension is increasingly observed among the middle class, which sees itself as an economically secure group with guarantees of well-being but is ready to participate in protests. This is because the middle class has a resource for activity.6

2 Tarrow, S, Power in Movement. Social Movement and Contentious Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 3 Soina, E.S, Politicheskoe protestnoe povedenie v sovremennoj Rossii, 2008. 4Sabitov, M.R. Sovremennye determinanty massovoj protestnoj aktivnosti v Rossii, 2013. 5 Gel'man Vladimir, Politicheskie rezhimy perekhodnogo perioda: rossijskie regiony v sravnitel'noj perspektive, 2000. 6 Peterson A., Wahlström M., Wennerhag М. European Anti-austerity Protests: Beyond “Old” and “New” Social Movements?, 2015. 10

This resource consists of the fact that participation in protest actions allows middle-class people to strengthen their social position, as they can quickly see the result of their actions and realize their influence on the political decision-making process. Related to this is the interest of the middle-class to elevate artists as opinion leaders and maintain interest in them. Politically engaged artists act as a kind of intermediaries between the middle class and political elites. Protests in defense and support of artists for the middle-class is an act of rapid influence on politics, it is a way to feel their importance and involvement in the processes taking place in the country. Through the protest behavior, citizens can position themselves in the social space. In Russia, the middle- class acts as a potentially destabilizing element of the political system. S. Tarrow proposed to include in the structure of political opportunities characteristics of the political regime that can be used by movements to achieve goals and mobilize support. There are four groups of indicators of the structure of political opportunities: 1) The degree of openness of the political system to new actors, such as artists who become political actors due to their activity in the political sphere and open actions with the public; 2) Evidence of the restructuring of political forces; 3) The presence of allies movements within the political system that finds each other through social media; 4) Emerging divisions within the political system elites.7 New media has become a main mobilization resource of the protests. Classical media no longer compensate for the weaknesses of regimes that are losing their legitimacy. New media is forming a new practice, relations between citizens, and the power elites.8 Also, access to information about the government's activities has a negative impact on the stability of the regime, since the active part of the population has information that often contradicts the official interpretation in the media and the political agenda. This, in turn, is actively used by artists in their interpretations. A modern protest is born based on new media, communication technologies, and social networks on the Internet, which is a key resource for the organizers of protest movements.9

7 Tarrow, S, Power in Movement. Social Movement and Contentious Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 8 Steinert-Threlkeld Z.C., Mocanu D., Vespignan A.i, Fowler J, Online Social Networks and Offline Protest No9. Online Social Networks and Offline Protest, 2015: 15-20. 9 Savenkov R.V., Shcheglova D.V, Teorii kollektivnogo povedeniya i mobilizacii resursov: razvitie koncepcij analiza politicheskogo protesta, RUDN Journal of Political Science, 2018: 555—563. 11

Mobilization is a collective action initiated, as a rule, by a socio-political conflict. The configuration of the forces involved, the scale and nature of their mobilization are dictated by the causes and degree of tension of the conflict. Mobilization can be described as a conflict between civil society and the state. In addition to the main warring parties, the conflict always involves forces supporting one or the other side. However, in addition to the main parties in the theory of mobilization, there are masses that are not directly involved in the conflict but are ready to support the conflict and get success.10 Such masses can be attributed to a society that is not involved in the confrontation on the line and receives the results of the protests. Various cultural works and performances, depending on the goals of mobilization, are used as instruments of protest actions by artists. Art to speak and increase the activity of citizens. Moreover, artists have more political freedoms due to their interpretations than political activists. In the theory of mobilization of protest actions, the mobilization itself cannot continue indefinitely. It has a specific cycle. The protest action, depending on the result, takes a different form. Speaking about the object of research – artistic involvement i At the initial stage of the theory's development, the intellectual elite is mobilized within the framework of artistic influence. Writers, musicians, poets – people who work with the word, begin to conduct non-verbal propaganda on social networks. There is often a phenomenon when artists deny their politicization and speak in their interviews about the lack of politics in their activities, calling their actions an expression of their opinion. But it is the absence of direct political influence, and freedom of speech through the means of works of art, that push to influence the political process. Political communication on the Internet is one of the most common types in modern society. The spread of social networks has brought political communication to a new level, with increased protests political decisions, environmental problems, economic injustice, and so on. And people who are far from any form of politics are protesting. Thanks to the world wide web, protests can generate goals to mobilize protests. The artists themselves often do not have the goal of putting society in a state of active political position.

10 Snow, R., Benford, D., Morris A., C. Mueller, Master Frames and Cycles of Protest. Frontiers in Social Movement theory. : Yale University Press, 1992. 12

Russia's mobilization idea: «You can't go on like this! ». The murder of journalists, unfair courts, deceived shareholders, the rebirth of law enforcement agencies, corruption, crime, and drug addiction, with the complete inaction of state structures to maintain social order, create a situation where people have only one way to change this situation: protest. Moreover, the protest can have a completely different form, not a classic demonstration, but an art performance, an Internet petition, spam videos and photos, and so on. The Internet and other information technologies have become a field and tool for individual citizens to mobilize resources, organize themselves, and express their personal opinions. A released song, film, or any political action of art protest immediately becomes available and well-known and leads to the launch of mobilization, both creative and constructive.11 In the period from 2015 to 2019, there were a lot of protests related to the protection of musicians, actors, and other artists. For example, in 2018, the impetus for mobilization was the cancellation of concerts and the arrest of several Russian artists, such as the rapper Husky, the group ICЗPEAK, and so on.12 These examples reflect the fact that not only citizens who are far from politics, but also artists are ready to mobilize. People, regardless of their status, position, or occupation, are ready to defend their views. Not all members of civil society are indifferent to everything that does not concern them personally, and not all society is infected with consumerism. This became real because, after a long life in the atmosphere of PR, profanation, direct deception or purely symbolic behavior of the authorities, people saw that there is a real business, and joined it even at the risk of their lives. An administrative arrest or other sanctions are no longer a threat to citizens. The social potential of Russian citizens was updated because people saw that their extra-efforts not only bring real help to the victims here and now, but that by uniting, they can change the current political system. The presence of virtual communication in this area has opened new opportunities for exchanging information and developing a view from different points of view. Forums and other forms of Internet mobilization allow you to compare information from official media with what is happening.

11 Murphy, R., Leadership in Disaster. Learning for a Future with Global Climate Change, 2009 12 BBC News. IC3PEAK, Husky, Friendzone: how concerts are banned in Russia. 26 December 2018. 13

However, any mobilization is targeted. Any civil mobilization is a form of direct communication that does not require intermediaries. Also, a significant fact of mobilization is a sharp sense of injustice.13 The theory of mobilization of protest actions is not possible without defining the term social movement, which is the mobilization of people around hopes, emotions, interests. Artists as the beginning of protest emotions act as a strong link, and this is since art directly relates to everyone and speaks the language of thoughts. Art as a political phenomenon provokes the masses to collective actions, which are manifested by the expression of similarities between a variety of social subjects. A social movement is defined by the identification of the enemy, but it is not always political. The political burden is born only by a movement that appeals to political authorities (government, local authorities, administration, etc.) in order to respond through public interaction to requirements. Mobilization through social networks and the dissemination of protest ideas are possible appreciate to the theory of collective behavior. When one individual is influenced by the psychology of the crowd and follows new trends in lifestyle, norms, gives in to panic and is (Anon., 1993) infected with ideas. This convergence is due to the influence of pre-existing beliefs. And the mobilization comes from finding a new language that expresses discontent.14

1.2. Methodology and literature review

The purpose of the study is to collect data for qualitative research and empirical research. The tasks include conducting each research method, selecting the necessary information for the study. The study required confirmation or refutation of the hypothesis « Artistic action can change the political agenda, produce an influence on decision-making in authoritarian Russia. The research questions posed in the study: 1. How exactly are artists and artists appeal to the masses? 2. How does the government respond to protests? 3. What level of political influence can artists and artists achieve?

13 Murphy, R. Leadership in Disaster. Learning for a Future with Global Climate Change, 2009. 14 Neveu, Erik. Sociologie des mouvements sociaux. La Decouverte, 2005. 14

Each question reflects the necessary information to approach the hypothesis and fully analyze the question of the influence of art on politics. The research is affected using the following case study method. This method analyzes literary sources, analyzes legal documents, interviews, content analysis of videos, interviews, and comments in social networks. Analysis of literature sources provides an analysis of available literature data on the selected topic. The analysis of literary and legal documents consists of the study of resolutions, laws of the Russian Federation, issued fines, judicial opinions imposed on artists. The content analysis using for social networks, video materials, and audio materials, as well as studies of interviews with artists that have already been conducted. Empirical research includes conducting interviews. This method is conducted with Russian an expert in the relation between politics and art, and the Russian political person. The interview was conducted online. Each expert was asked 9 questions about their attitude to this issue as an expert, their opinion on the influence of art on politics in Russia, and their conclusions and suggestions as a person interested in the development of politics and social movements. The method of analysis of literary sources is applicable to the assessment of the current situation in modern Russia in the field of freedoms, the study of statistical data, historical perspectives, General information about the influence of art on politics in Russia. This analysis uses articles and books from scientific databases. Content analysis and analysis of legal documents are used to study the political activity of artists and the reaction of the authorities to this activity. The interview method, as well as the method of literary analysis, is used to write the second Chapter of the bachelor's work, to identify certain positions, historical events, and modern problems of freedom of speech in Russia. Research in the thesis is based on the book by Lena Jonson «Art and Protest in Putin’s Russia». The book deals with the research of the last decade in the field of art. An example is given of how a strong counterculture is gradually forming that ridicules the regime and the values it represents. However, the art puts forward an alternative value. The author shows the parallel development of art and protest, the participation of artists in political and social protest, and 15 provides illustrations. The book concludes that art is important for promoting social values and developing political protests. Another source of literature is the article by Nikolay Petrov, Maria Lipman & Henry E. Hale «Three dilemmas of hybrid regime governance: Russia from Putin to Putin.». The article analyzes hybrid modes that provide control. The paper presents how the authorities try to maintain control, avoiding direct repression and social reaction. But such actions lead to negative results, including the weakening of formal institutions, the proliferation of substitutions, and increased centralization and personalization of control. The article by Darya Kumakova «Communication in the artistic environment: the art of interaction» also was used for research. In this article, the author explores the features of relational aesthetics and its influence on the transformation of the artistic environment. The analysis of theиart of interaction raises the question of the possibility of art autonomy, which is one of the fundamental issues in art theory. The author also traces the formation of the problem of art autonomy using the example of art theories and trends. At the end of the article, the author draws out the main provision characteristic of the aesthetics of interaction, including the emancipation of the viewer and his involvement in the artistic process. The research is based on work by Andrey Makarychev, Sergey Medvedev «Biopolitical art and the Struggle for Sovereignty in Putin’s Russia.». The article describes the attractiveness of the political actionist in modern Russia through the analysis of the political art of Peter Pavlensky. The article also uses the paradigm of power and politics studied by Michel Foucault. This allows us to understand the nature of the Russian state. The author raises the issue of the struggle for the human body that has been going on in Russia in the last decade. The state imposes mechanisms of privacy, from open public discussion of sexuality, domestic violence, and gender equality to radical exposure of the body by such artists. And the last main source of literature is the article by Lena Jonson «Post-Pussy Riot: art and protest in Russia today». The author examines the resistance and criticism regarding the importance of art in modern political conditions in Russia. If there are restrictions in the field of freedom of speech seriously. In may 2012, Vladimir Putin was appointed President. Analysts predicted a change in culture. The article is a review of the critical discourse of art in new conditions. Examples of artistic strategies of resistance and the concept of dissidence are given in the political context. 16

2. THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN RUSSIA IN THE SPHERE OF FREEDOMS

2.1. Influence of art on politics

Social development is ensured by the interaction of various fields of activity. The regime, political moods, social opinions, and movements depend on the nature of values, culture, intelligence, and other factors associated with a person's creative activity. The relationship between art and politics is determined by the state's policy in relation to art, the conduct of ideological installations of power through art, and the attitude of artists to political processes in the country.15 The state also has a cultural policy – a set of principles and norms that guide the state in its activities for the preservation, development, and dissemination of culture, as well as the state's own activities in the field of culture. The state plays a special role in several subjects of cultural policy. In accordance with its functions, it should shape the cultural life of society. It is obliged to conduct its own cultural policy and fulfills the super-task of coordinating the cultural needs and interests of all socially significant groups and strata of society. In the system of social management, policy plays a guiding role, defining the vision of problems, as well as finding ways to solve them. The state forms and implements cultural policy through the legislative and executive branches of government. The state organizes legal protection of culture, registers charters of creative organizations, adopts special programs, forms cultural infrastructure, finances the cultural sphere, determines the specifics of tax policy in relation to cultural institutions, and establishes public holidays that combine political and cultural aspects.16 17 When culture and art interact with the socio-political sphere, political regimes and social processes that take place in society influence the quality and content of the cultural life of the society. On the other hand, the level of culture of a society and its political leaders determines political decision-making, campaigning, conflict resolution, and so on. This influence is two-sided

15 Emel'yanov, B.V. CHicherin B.N. Politika kak nauka i deyatel'nost', 2002: 16 Anonymous interview with a political figure dealing with art in Russia, 35 years, interview by Marharyta Tsitova. Empirical research on the political influence of art in Russia (February 15, 2020). 17 Anonymous interview with a Russian politician who deals with economic issues in the government of the Russian Federation, 65 years, interview by Marharyta Tsitova. Empirical research on the political influence of art in Russia (March 8, 2020). 17 and mutual, culture and politics are all in all, some force fields that, in their universality, can neither be rigidly defined nor unambiguously localized.18 The interaction of art with themes and figures that attract everyone's attention is due to a change in the relationship of themes in art. In this case, the relationship between art and politics has changed. Art has always been in some relationship with politics and politics, presenting politics in various ways, in the form of portraits, images of heroes or important political events, wars, or revolutionaries. Art has traditionally been a decoration, an ornament of political power. Decoration of palaces, Republican assemblies, and so on.19 Art expresses the psychology and worldview of certain social strata, reveals their social position, and in some situations is associated with certain social movements. It acquires a pronounced political significance. It is no accident that during the Soviet period, much attention was paid to the partisanship of art.20 Art deals with socio-economic and political facts in society in the light of people's behavior patterns in certain periods, and it guides the artistic needs and demands of the community.21 The ideological formats assigned by people with different ideas and interests in order to be in power form the basis of the relationship between art and politics. In this context, the idea of art and politics recalls Plato's suggestion of an «excellent state» and a process that embraces the «autonomy of art». According to Plato's superlative state approach, which points to the potential between art and politics, art is not competent in politics and makes us deviate by dominating our feelings because Plato believes that art is the real world that can be perceived by the mind and not through the senses. As for the autonomy of art, which is related to the independence of art from all forms of politics, it resolves this potential by distinguishing art from politics. He emphasizes that art should be independent of all goals.22 However, to identify the real influence of art on politics, it is necessary to analyze examples that are enough in the history of the XX century. The interaction and connections between art and politics are given different roles and meanings, and to a greater extent in a political context.

18 Zubkov, S.A. Tendencii transformacii rossijskoj modeli vzaimosvyazi politiki, nauki i tekhniki v sovremennyh usloviyah / S.A.Zubkov // . - , 2006. - S.26. : Nauchnye trudy aspirantov i doktorantov. Socium, 2006. 19 Kruglikova, G.A. Sovremennaya kul'turnaya politika: ot idei k praktike Proekt Ahej,2005: 34. 20 Smorgunov, L.V. Politicheskaya filosofiya i nauka: ot konfrontacii k vzaimovliyaniyu . Ocherki po filosofii i kul'ture. : Sankt-Peterburgskoe filosofskoe obshchestvo, 2001. 21 Terzi, S. 12 Eylül 1980 SonrasÕ Sanat-Siyaset øliúkisi ve Plastik Sanatlara Etkisi, YayÕnlanmamÕú Yüksek Lisans Tezi. Izmir: Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, 2008. 22 Kapani, M. Siyaset Bilimine Giriú. Ankara: Bilgi YayÕnevi, 2007. 18

When it comes to futurism, we always consider its close connection with the ideology of Italian fascism and the manifestation of this connection both in works of art and in the political preferences of the artists themselves. Nevertheless, the birth and existence of futurism as a trend in art before the arrival of the fascists to power saved it from a pejorative status, and today we can talk about the artistic merits of futurism. This is not the case with the close connection between Neoclassicism and German Nazism, especially in the context of the collaboration of the architect Albert Speer with Adolf Hitler. Art historians have found that Speer's ideas for transforming the capital of the Third Reich were one of the reasons for the systematic deportation and extermination of Jews and an important catalyst for the creation of special labor camps in and the use of forced labor to implement the architect's grandiose plans. A different fate befell the official art of the of the same period. Quite acceptable is the scientific discussion about the project of the Palace of Soviets by Boris Iofan and the USSR pavilion at the international exhibition in in 1937, crowned by Vera Mukhina's sculpture «worker and collective farmer» based on his idea. At the same time, Western art historians are inclined to perceive a certain and cultivated socialist realism under Stalin as a curiosity, a misunderstanding, and a deviation from the imaginary line of artistic progress with its only vector towards abstraction. Boris Groys was the only one who at one time encouraged Western theorists to look at socialist realism as a phenomenon related to the world of modernism, i.e. to consider it a genuine and full-fledged problem of art history and not an insignificant deviation of local significance.23 The interaction of art and politics in the XX century around the world was quite significant, the war years and ideological issues provided several topics for the activities of artists and artists. Revolutions and political uprisings in Soviet Russia were accompanied by art. But it is difficult to say that art could influence politics. Artworks did not cause enough mobilization in the context of the regime and ideology but rather supported the government. The phenomenon of art opposition in soviet times could not exist. Therefore, we will discuss the influence of art on politics in modern Russia. Which has been in a state of crisis since 2011, after the elections and accompanying protests, after sanctions from the West, when the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine began.

23 Tiefenthal, Alice, Art and politics. Arterritory. January 09, 2013. 19

For most of society, the crisis problem is of an economic nature, personal income is declining, and unemployment is rising. Society is used to resisting economic downturns, but the government continues to insist that the situation is comparable to the situation in 2009 when the country experienced the consequences of the global financial crash. «The crisis sometimes lasts for decades. This exceptional duration means that incurable structural contradictions have manifested themselves... and that, despite this, the political forces that are fighting to preserve and protect the existing structure itself are making efforts to cure them within certain limits and overcome them» - wrote Antonio Gramsci.24 This statement refers to the current crisis in Russia, which has been going on for several years, has its own history and is far from over. Due to the difficult political and economic situation in Russia, art has lost all freedom. Art centers such as Winzavod and Strelka, museums such as the Moscow Museum of modern art and the Moscow House of photography (now the Multimedia Art Museum), and big projects such as the Moscow Biennale (opened in 2004) were established in Moscow. The government's motives for supporting contemporary art were clear: the new institutions built on the ruins of Soviet cultural policy were impressive examples of public-private partnerships. This was before the 2011 protest movement matured amid the election to create its own identity. It could present itself as the voice of society, or as an educated and established social elite with its own special interests. Unfortunately, the liberal political mainstream has chosen the latter orientation. Since the objective social boundaries between the best and the rest were unclear, the cultural lines separating them were sharpened. Today's deepening crisis poses new challenges for art. Since the beginning of Putin's conservative turn, most of the institutions created in the 2000s have tried to find stable positions. Large projects now claim to normalize art, returning it from a wide public space to an isolated cultural space. The international exhibition of the Biennale More light presented many complexes, high-quality artistic references to hot social and political topics, such as religion, gender, migration, and protest movements. But the volume was dismissed as low: at times, these statements seemed like open lessons in how art can function peacefully as a Parliament of the unrepresented in a country without having a common political representation.25

24 Gramsci, Antonio. Reader: Selected Letters. 1916-35. 25 Forgacs, David. David Forgacs. London: Lawrence and Wishart, 1988. 20

Mass culture, progress in the field of information transmission, the emergence of global means of communication, as well as the dominance of the clip model of consciousness – all this has significantly affected both art and politics. In fact, it is difficult for a modern person to hide from propaganda, offers of various opinions, and art can clothe some ideologies in a popular and fashionable form. Modern art is part of the aesthetic and ethical paradigm, materializes the spirit of the time in certain works, so it does not remain aloof from topical issues.26 However, such an art form as modern music is most aggressively perceived by the authorities. Music has a direct interaction with young people, who are just forming their position. The direct form of influence of art on politics is political socialization. It is determined by changes in the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of a person associated with the development of his political consciousness, behavior, and value-orientation system. All those processes in which a person perceives the requirements of status and role behavior, political values and norms of political culture, allow him to harmoniously enter the existing political system and become a subject of political relations in it.27 The specificity of the socio-cultural approach to the socialization of youth is that it integrates three dimensions of human existence as fundamental, each of which is not reduced to others and is not derived from them, but they are interrelated and affect each other as the most important components of human society. Thus, any kind of art can serve as a tool for a two-way process of exchanging political information between the «powers that be» and ordinary citizens. Music is a type of information that can be filled with political content and used to influence public consciousness, perform the function of political socialization. This is reflected in the following theses: A person can claim that music and politics are two parallel lines that never intersect, that he is not interested in music on political topics, but any music written on the territory of a certain state or country absorbs the breath of political life.28

26 Vlaskin, Alexander, Sovremennoe iskusstvo kak instrument vliyaniya na politiku Rossijskoj Federacii. 2015. 27 Anonymous interview with a political figure dealing with art in Russia, 35 years, interview by Marharyta Tsitova. Empirical research on the political influence of art in Russia (February 15, 2020). 28 Titova, L. G., Turchina, V. S. Muzyka kak instrument politicheskoj socializacii molodezhi, 2013. 21

Modern art seeks to shape fashion, fashion affects the way of life and the worldview of consumer society. The author, in turn, can engage in artistic labeling, demonizing some and exalting others, and part of the audience adopts his views, even without being interested in politics as such. Since modern art is often a protest, a revolt of the author, a response to established norms, stereotypes, a test of public morality, it is also characterized by political opposition. Figures of modern art in different periods of history were singers and artists of revolutions, even if some later understood the tragedy of this path. However, modern art is now partly used as a political tool in Russia.29

2.2. Art, literature, and music as a form of protest in the USSR

The XX century was a period of creative surge for literature and fine arts. This period was marked by a turn from realism to primitivism, symbolism, and abstract painting. Members of the Jack of Diamonds group of artists promoted the most advanced European avant-garde trends in their own painting and exhibited works by European artists such as Albert Gleizes and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. Vasily Kandinsky created his highly influential lyrical abstractions during this period, and Kazimir Malevich began to explore the rigid, geometric abstraction of Suprematism. Architecture also often pushed boundaries, as seen in the works of Vladimir Tatlin, though not the executed design is known as the Monument to the Third international (1920), the dramatic spirals of iron and glass tower that would have been the tallest building in the world. In this design, Tatlin rejected architectural models from the past and instead looked forward to a more utopian future based on technology and progress. During this same period, Marc Chagall began his lifelong pursuit of poetic, whimsical paintings based on his own personal mythology, a work that defies classification within any one group or trend. The 1920s were a period of ongoing experimentation. Perhaps the most notable movement was constructivism. Based on previous experiments under the guidance of Tatlin, El Lissitzky, and Alexander Rodchenko, the constructivists favored strict geometric forms and crisp graphic design. Many also became actively involved in the task of creating living spaces and forms of everyday life; they developed furniture, ceramics, and clothing, and they worked in graphic design and architecture. Non-constructivists were also created during

29 Vlaskin, Alexander. Sovremennoe iskusstvo kak instrument vliyaniya na politiku Rossijskoj Federacii. Rossijskij institut strategicheskih issledovanij. November 10, 2015. 22 this period, including Pavel Filonov and Maria Ender. By the late 1920s, however, the same pressure that faced experimental writing was brought to bear on the visual arts. With the introduction of socialist realism, the great artists of the early 1920s found themselves increasingly isolated. Eventually, their work was removed from museums, and in many cases, the artists themselves were almost completely forgotten. Experimental art was replaced by countless paintings by Vladimir Lenin.30 In the mid-1930s, according to Dmitry Shostakovich's memoirs, a Congress was called in the Soviet Union for Ukrainian folk poets - blind musicians who roamed the countryside singing in the past. From tiny villages all over Ukraine, these Lyrniks and Bandurists, as they were called, gathered at the First All-Ukrainian Congress to discuss their future in the Soviet Union under Stalin. «It was a living Museum», - says Shostakovich, «a living history of the country. All his songs, all his music, and poetry». There, at the Congress, blind poets were subjected to «capital punishment» for their singing – they were executed.31 Such cultural atrocities must be well known through the activities of modern revolutionary movements. In the Russian liberal-democratic culture, all forms of music can be freely written, performed, and written. Individual work does not pose any threat; for most of us, it carries no more than a random meaning. The meaning of music is only in the pleasure that it gives. However, recent totalitarian regimes have found all sorts of dangers in music. Totalitarianism extends to every aspect of human life, including music. Treason is heard in musical dissonance, rebellion in harmonic modulation. The more tyrannical the regime, the more it is afraid of music. Until recently, China banned Western composers such as Beethoven; the Soviet Union banned works by bourgeois formalists, and Nazi Germany condemned Jewish music. There has never been a tyranny that has not taken music very seriously, that has not insisted that music expresses meanings and that these meanings have an impact on society. Dmitry Shostakovich is a convincing example of a musician writing under the constraints of totalitarianism. During his lifetime, he was the most respected court composer of the soviet power. With the publication of his memoir, Testimony, in 1979, his reputation began to change. The book claims that the image of loyal loyalty to the party is a lie. The composer talks bitterly

30 Britannica. The visual arts. 31 Rothstein, Edward. Musical freedom and why dictators fear it. Aug 23, 1981. 23 about associations, denunciations, and how people get their pants dirty in fear of Stalin. He claims that his music was often a coded protest the very society it was adopted to support. Stalin is at the dark center of the book, presenting totalitarianism at its fullest, its shadow falling on Shostakovich's career. Shostakovich's Opera Lady Macbeth, condemned in Pravda in 1936, gave the first hint of Stalin's musical acuteness. This is playing at abstruse things, which could end very badly. In 1948, a resolution of the CPSU Central Committee attacked Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Khachaturian, and other composers whose formal perversions and anti- democratic tendencies in music, alien to the Soviet people and their artistic tastes, were particularly egregious. To be accused of «formalism» seems trivial criticism; it means that only works were too abstract, more concerned with form than with the good of society. They were academic, elitist, abstruse. But such critiques were not written by music critics. They have longer- term consequences. Of the three main convicted composers, Khachaturian suffered the least, perhaps because of his folk and simple musical style. But Prokofiev went into seclusion; his health failed; his work is marked. He composed little aside from such banal works as «the Meeting of the Volga and the don» for the opening of the Volga-don canal. Another type of musical meaning that can lead to repression has less to do with the content of music than with its associations with a culture that stands uncomfortably in the way of revolution - as in Ukrainian folk poets.32 But throughout history, music has generally been considered to have connections with both the soul and the state; music even had to be subject to the same control as the soul and the state, or its irrational power could lead to anarchy. For example, Plato's « Republic» presented a plan for a perfectly just state, which is usually considered enlightened, but clearly totalitarian. Socrates forbids playing in multiple musical modes just as he censors passages of poetry that will have a bad effect on the delicate balance of a politician's body. «The ways of music never move», - says Socrates, «without the greatest political laws that move». Music, that is, with its freedom and laws, is closely related to the structures of the soul and the state. Its structure is a miniature society of sorts - the laws of harmony regulate clusters of notes; isolated lines follow seemingly independent paths, guided by a common design; dissonances imply conflicts and are resolved according to strict constitutional rules.

32 Rothstein, Edward. Musical freedom and why dictators fear it. Aug 23, 1981. 24

Music, in this way, can express in its structure the complex relationship between the composer, listener, patron, and society. But most importantly, such complexities should not be understood based on the analysis. The power of music and its threat is that its power does not depend on understanding. Therefore, music is justly feared by the tyrant - not as abstract art, but as concrete. Music clearly expresses its meaning, especially to a tyrant ever sensitive to noise under his throne. China, for example, had reason to fear Beethoven's bourgeois individualism; such music does not encourage general submission. The nature of the power of music to act on large groups of people, then, depends on its construction - the social meaning is contained in the structure of music. Although they can be interpreted and misinterpreted, musical meanings are still strongly conveyed. For tyranny, musical law must be established and enforced with the same dedication as civil law. So, if the Soviet Union is afraid of certain abstract music, then this is certainly correct - formalist music does not bind listeners in purposeful simplicity; it has its basis in more individual, more ambiguous aspirations. The stirring power of the anthem – The Marseillaise, for example, with its impulsive rhythms, its horn-calling refrains, its regular rising and falling lines-is very different from the sickening' formalist ' interrogations found in the Schoenberg string Quartet.33 The dissident movement has become an important form of artistic protest. While Stalin was there, almost no one dared openly disagree with the actions of the authorities — you could get into the camp and for smaller offenses. Khrushchev at the XX Congress exposes the cult of personality and releases political prisoners. Society begins to try to establish a dialogue with the authorities: films are made, books are written, the existence of which would have been impossible under Stalin. A generation is growing up that believes that the actions of the state can be edited and allows itself more and more freedom. Two writers — Andrey Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel- sent their works to the West and published them under pseudonyms. In 1965, they were arrested and tried for anti-soviet agitation and propaganda. To the dissatisfaction of the authorities, famous artists (Shklovsky, Chukovsky, Okudzhava, Akhmadulina, and others) intervened for the writers, sending a «Letter of 62» to the Presidium of the Supreme Council with a request for the release of the writers. Several people organized a «glasnost Meeting» on Pushkin square, and the materials of the trial were collected and distributed in samizdat.

33 Rothstein, Edward. Musical freedom and why dictators fear it. The New York Times, August 23, 1981. 25

Around the same time, the USSR signed the International Covenant on civil and political rights of its citizens, as reported in Soviet Newspapers. Soviet citizens are surprised to learn that their rights are taken care of by the UN human rights Commission and that they can be contacted if they are not respected. People who are not necessarily injured, but who consider it necessary to point out violations to the authorities, start collecting evidence. Artists were activists of the movement, as they could spread the truth among citizens without hindrance. But dissidents were not only artists, but active citizens also participated in the life of their country at all levels. The actions of the «dissenters» were mainly limited to two areas: first, the drafting of collective letters to the Soviet authorities, courts, Prosecutor's offices, and party bodies with requests to draw attention to violations (for example, the rights of prisoners, disabled people, or national minorities). The second is the dissemination of information about violations, mainly through the samizdat Bulletin «Chronicle of current events». What made the activists a movement were two «symbols of faith»: the principle of non- violence and the main instrument of struggle — the letter of the law adopted in the country, as well as international human rights obligations that the USSR was obliged to observe. First, they called themselves «human rights defenders» or «Democratic Movement», then – «dissenters». One day, foreign correspondents who found it difficult to describe in a single word a phenomenon that could not be described as either right-wing, left-wing, or oppositional in General, used the same term that English Protestants were called dissidents in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Nevertheless, there was no organization as such — each dissident determined the measure of his participation in the common cause: to find a paper for independent print, distribute it, store it, write appeals himself or sign them, or help political prisoners with money. The dissidents had no leader, but they had authority: for example, the letters that Sakharov wrote, or Solzhenitsyn's statements weighed more than the statements of any other person. For the authorities, the lack of hierarchy was a problem — if there is no head, it is impossible to eliminate one person and thus destroy the entire organization. Dissidents did not plan to seize power in the USSR and did not even have a specific program to reform it. Together, they wanted the country to respect basic human rights: freedom of movement, religion, speech, assembly and each group separately sought something different 26

— the Jewish movement was engaged in repatriation to Israel, the movement of Crimean Tatars was in favor of returning to the Crimea, where the Tatars were deported in 1944; the Christian movement wanted to openly confess Christ and baptize children; dissident prisoners starved for their rights and prison rules. The Krishnas wanted to practice yoga in peace and feed their children vegetarian food without fear of being deprived of their parental rights. Mainly, the dissidents tried to make as many people in the USSR and abroad as possible aware of violations and that the government is lying when it says that human rights are respected in the country and everyone is happy. For this purpose, samizdat was used the «Chronicle of current events», and various ways of transmitting information to the West — home press conferences, sending texts through foreign subjects, and so on. But often victims received specific help: money or a free lawyer. For example, Solzhenitsyn gave all the income from publishing the GULAG Archipelago abroad to political prisoners, and lawyer Sofia Kallistratova defended independent writers of Crimean Tatars and Jewish refuseniks for free. In 1975, the USSR signed the act, that is, it signed an obligation to provide its citizens with freedom of movement, contacts, information, the right to work, the right to education and medical care; equal rights and the right of peoples to control their fate, determine their internal and external political status. The document published in Soviet Newspapers became the main map of human rights defenders: «Here, you signed it yourself, please do it». The following year, human rights defenders United in Helsinki groups (first in Moscow, then in Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia, and Armenia) to monitor violations of these rights and freedoms, which, again, were reported to the other signatory countries. To export information helped foreign correspondents who called at the home of the press conference. By spreading information in this way, dissidents were able to save or mitigate the fate of individuals without changing the system. Only for «agitation and propaganda» you could get into a political camp, for the rest-in ordinary camps to criminals. The authorities at some point realized that, despite the long terms, it is more desirable for political people to get to the camp «to their own», because there they stayed in a circle of intelligent people, learned from each other — for example, law and languages. There was also the article «Treason to the Motherland» (which provided for liability up to the death penalty), but after the death of Stalin, it was rarely used. Dissidents were more likely to be intimidated by it. 27

But in addition to incarceration, many other measures were applied to dissidents: they could be kicked out of work, from an Institute, set up surveillance or wiretapping, or sent to a psychiatric hospital for compulsory treatment. There were already thousands of people who went through this. Since the dissidents did not have the task of overthrowing the government, they did not pose a direct threat, but their actions constantly caused trouble to the country's leadership in General and various administrations. The most important result is assistance to prisoners, especially those convicted of political crimes, and their families, as well as those dismissed for political reasons. Dissidents have been raising money for this aid since the mid-1960s; in 1974, Andrei Sakharov gave the Chino del Duca literary prize to help children of political prisoners; in 1974, Alexander Solzhenitsyn created a Fund to help political prisoners and their families. Prisoners received letters, packages, and various forms of support, one of the tasks of which was to demonstrate that they were not forgotten on the outside and to make sure that they did not feel cut off from what was happening in the world. Dissident and political prisoner Valery Abramkin put a lot of effort into creating public monitoring commissions in prisons. Thanks to dissidents who organized a collective hunger strike and political prisoner's Day in several camps on October 30, 1974, there is now a day of remembrance for victims of political repression, officially recognized by the state. Another important result of their work is documenting what happened in the 1960s and 80s: this is a part of history that we would not have had an objective view of today without documents of unofficial origin. Third, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which was developed with the participation of active participants of the dissident movement-Kronid Lyubarsky and Sergei Kovalev, and the development of the law on rehabilitation by participants of the samizdat collection «Memory». In addition, the influence in the past or present on real politics of individuals who came out of «dissenters», such as Vladimir Lukin in Russia, Nathan Sharansky in Israel, many representatives of national movements in Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia or Armenia. The fourth is the attention paid by politicians and psychiatrists around the world to the problem of using psychiatry for political purposes thanks to the work of Vladimir Bukovsky. A collection of samizdat texts that circulated in dissident circles produced subsequent official publications. An example that is not directly related to their activities but is important for 28 the culture as a whole: during the life of Vysotsky, there was no publication, and when it became possible to publish, the lyrics were already collected by activists of the Amateur song Club. Another example is Natalia Trauberg's translations of the Chronicles of Narnia, which were published in samizdat until the end of the 1980s, and from which official publications were later made. The activities of dissidents changed the social climate of the country, demonstrating the existence of an alternative view of the order of things and asserting the value of human life and civil rights. Thus, the dissidents prepared an intellectual alternative to the Soviet system, as well as the current social activity: this is the continuity of the principles of human rights activists.34

2.3. Political freedoms in Russia

Since 2015, it has become dangerous to be an opposition politician in Russia. In February, Russia was shaken by the murder of opposition politician at the Kremlin wall in Central Moscow.35 The perpetrators of the murder were arrested, but those who gave the order remained at large. In January, the prison has signed the brother of Alexei Navalny.36 In May 2015, Putin signed the law «On undesirable organizations», which is a continuation of the law on foreign agents of 2012.37 The legislation gives prosecutors the power to declare foreign and international organizations undesirable and close them. Well-known institutions such as the Carnegie Moscow Center, as well as local representatives of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, are under threat. Several other international organizations, such as the national endowment for democracy and the MacArthur Foundation, have already closed or left the country. In November, two foundations created by the founder of the open society Foundation, George Soros, were banned in Russia.38

34 Makarov, Aleksej. Glavnoe o dissidentah v 9 voprosah. Moscow: Kurs No 40 CHelovek protiv SSSR, n.d. 35 BBC NEWS. Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead. February 28, 2015. 36 Navalny, Alexei. Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny gets suspended sentence but brother jailed. The Guardian. December 30, 2014. 37 BBC NEWS. Russia's Putin signs law against 'undesirable' NGOs. May 24, 2015. 38 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL . Russia begins blacklisting ‘undesirable’ organizations. July 28, 2015. 29

The new legislation restricts foreign ownership of media: a law signed in January prohibiting foreigners from owning more than 20 percent of any media channel has prompted foreign investors to sell it and threatens the remaining established publications such as business daily Vedomosti (whose owners include the Financial Times and Dow Jones). Private and independent TV channels such as «» have been fighting a law banning advertising on cable and satellite channels since 2015.39 In an interview with the Austrian TV channel ORF, President Vladimir Putin said that his government does not restrict the political and civil liberties of the Russian people. In his speech, he said that citizens can freely express themselves and be representatives of numerous political movements. However, as the facts show, the situation is different. According to the Freedom House 2018 Freedom in the World study, Russia is not a free country. Based on the assessment, Russia has 6.5 in the freedom rating. In the rating of political rights-7, the area of civil liberties-6. On a scale where «1» is the freest and «7» is the least free. Power in Russia's authoritarian political system is concentrated in the hands of President Vladimir Putin. With security forces, a subordinate judicial system, a media-controlled environment, and a legislature made up of the ruling party and pliable opposition groups, the Kremlin can manipulate elections and obstruct genuine opposition. Rampant corruption in the country is one of the notable threats to state power, as it contributes to shifting the links between officials and organized criminal groups. There is no freedom of the media. As the government puts pressure on press freedom in Russia. Nevertheless, television remains the main source of information for Russians. Young people usually do not watch TV, which means that the media cannot fully convey their propaganda to them. There are 22 major national TV channels in Russia, of which 20 are owned by the government. Freedom of the press in Russia is constantly declining. Amendments and changes to the law in recent years, judicial practice, and political standards are clearly repressive against freedom of the press. The Russian government under Vladimir Putin passed laws that were used as leverage against independent media.40 Since the Internet has a lot of power and every year more and more ahead of television. Since 2014, the Russian government has been pursuing a policy against influential bloggers.

39 Russia - Human rights and governance. European Council on Foreign Relations. 2016. 40 Troianovski, Anton. In Russia, an Updated Law With New Restrictions on Freedom of Speech. The New York Times. December 2, 2019. 30

Security forces have the right to monitor Russian bloggers with a daily audience of more than 3,000. Such bloggers are required to register as a media outlet and obtain a media license.41 The Committee to protect journalists called Russia one of the deadliest countries for independent media, and in most cases, crimes against journalists remain unsolved. Today, journalists in Russia and the former Soviet Union are subjected to intimidation, harassment, arrest, and even murder for their work. Those who criticize the government or investigate sensitive issues such as corruption do so at their own risk. Often, cases remain unsolved, and victims and families do not see justice.42 The presidential election of March 18, 2018 was held in an overly controlled legal and political environment characterized by continued pressure on critical votes. Restrictions on the basic freedoms of Assembly, Association, and expression, as well as on the registration of candidates, have limited opportunities for political participation and resulted in a lack of genuine competition. Wide and uncritical coverage of the incumbent President in most media has led to uneven playing fields. Past elections in Russia were characterized by several violations, including changes in the rules for registering candidates that favored the incumbent President, as well as violations on election day, such as stuffing ballots and voting on a carousel. On June 8, Varvara Mikhailova was fined 160,000 rubles ($2,560) by a St. Petersburg court for participating in the mayday March with the anti-Putin banner. In 2012, Vitold Filipov was charged with extremism for liking photos from the film «American History X» on the social network Vkontakte. Filipov claimed that the film was «anti-fascist» and was shown on Russian television, but he was still fined 1,000 rubles (about $ 30 at the time).43 In May 2018, 28 organizers of Navalny's organization were taken into custody and charged with inciting riots for retweeting and posting on social networks.44 In May 2017, a court sentenced Ruslan Sokolovsky to 3.5 years of probation for insulting the feelings of believers after he played Pokemon Go in a Church and then posted a video of him doing so on Youtube. Sokolovsky did not break the service in any way.45

41BBC NEWS. Russia enacts draconian law for bloggers and online media. August 1, 2014. 42 CSCE. Russian Federation. 43 Polygraph. What Putin Says About Rights and Freedoms in Russia vs. the Facts, June 11, 2018. 44 Advox Global Voices. Russian anti-corruption activists are jailed for ‘inciting riots’ based on their tweets and retweets . May 25, 2018. 45 Cresci, Elena. Russian YouTuber convicted for playing Pokémon Go in church. The Guardian. May 11, 2017. 31

Vladimir Baluch, a resident of Russian-occupied Crimea, was arrested after police searched his home when they noticed a Ukrainian flag flying from it. They later claimed to have found 90 rounds of ammunition and several explosives in the house, but this was largely denied.46

46 Polygraph. «What Putin Says About Rights and Freedoms in Russia vs. the Facts.» Polygraph, 11 June 2018 г.: 5. 32

3. INFLUENCE OF ARTISTS ON THE POLITICAL SITUATION

3.1. Case of protest songs

Russian musicians openly Express their political position, and this causes protests among the population. Previously, there was almost no protest music. However, in the period from 2015 to 2019, it was protest music that became the main one among musicians. All the songs were written in mid-late 2018 under the influence of very different events. But the main thing that unites these songs is that they are aimed at people who are beginning to think that the actions of the authorities and law enforcement agencies are the right thing to do. They are beginning to share the point of view of the media. Back in the late noughties, many musicians stopped separating the political from the personal. Songs began to reflect the connections of power structures and Patriarchal culture. For a detailed study of the political influence of artists in Russia, a case study has been conducted. In which four representatives of art are considered. These examples are a text-visual art form. They can be classified by their approach: radical, liberal; by the way of communicating information: textual, text-visual, visual; by the attitude of the authorities to them: repression, cooperation, ignoring. There are many more examples of resistance to the regime and influence on the government than the study considers, but the most striking and significant examples for the protest movement are taken for analysis, reflecting the situation from different sides. Rappers have always treated artists with freedom of speech. When rap started to leave the streets and become publicly available on the Internet, it also became a problem for the government of the Russian Federation. The politicized texts of artists and the setting of acute social issues quickly turned dozens of performers into leaders of public opinion. However, the popularity comes along with 15-day arrests and fines. The cases of the Husky rapper are clear examples of violations of human rights to freedom of speech and personal freedom. 33

The musician throughout his career touched on political topics, the reason for the active mobilization of citizens was the song «Seventh of October», the first version of which was released in 2011.47 Second version of this song appeared as Vladimir Putin's birthday greeting on October 7, 2019. Rapper Husky (Dmitry Kuznetsov) released the song. The song appeared on Husky's social networks on October 7 ten minutes before midnight with a comment: «When I almost forgot to congratulate you, but still managed to. A clip followed — in which the song's lyrics are spoken by a portrait of an official hanging on the wall of a shabby apartment. At the same time, it is noticeable how much the image ages. In the end, the rapper himself appears. He removes the portrait from the wall and sees through a hole in the wall another world — a waterfall in the mountains and the setting sun.

Table 1- Lyrics by rapper Husky - October seventh. (Compiled by the author, translated from Russian to English by the author, May 2020).

Husky song lyrics «Seventh of October» Translated by the author Могила, на могиле эпитафия: Grave on a grave epitaph: «Я умер, но бессмертна мафия» «I'm dead, but the mafia is immortal»

В кубышке капитала ГБУ In the kubishka of the Capitan GBU Потные подмышки капитана ГРУ Captain GRU's sweaty armpits Новые дворяне при погонах ФСБ New nobility in the uniform of the FSB Сопли кокаина на казённых ДСП Snot of cocaine on government chipboard Фото пожелтело, будто фантик «Каракум» The photo turned yellow, like a wrapper На нем Михал Иваныч, рядом — Антиквар «Karakum» и Кум On it is Mikhail Ivanovich, next to him- Петербург и два числа на обороте Antique dealer and Kum

47Meduza. "I slide like a water skater on Kadyrov street, Rotenberg Avenue" Husky released a clip for Putin's birthday. October 8, 2019.

34

Прячу фотку в пятерню и растворяюсь в Petersburg and two numbers on the back переходе I hide the photo in my hand and disappear into Личка из гэбисткой тусовки the transition Нычки в колумбийской тушёнке Lich from the gambist party Сотни филиалов Кущёвки Nychka Colombian stew Сахар в подвале хрущёвки Hundreds of branches of Kushchevka Забившись под узкие шконки Sugar in the basement of Khrushchev Мы читаем рэп для Сеульской сестрёнки Huddled under the narrow bunk Для гостей бронированной яхты (яхты) We're for my little sister in Seoul Солнечный зайчик в кишечнике шахты An armored yacht is available for guests Я скольжу, как водомерка A sunbeam in the gut of a mine По улице Кадырова, к проспекту I glide like a water skater Ротенберга On Kadyrov street, Rotenberg Avenue Далекий и ничей, как Сургутнефтегаз Distant and nobody's, like Surgutneftegaz То там, то тут я торчу, как третий глаз Here and there I stick out like a third eye Эмигрирую на съёмную однушку Emigrate to a rented one-bedroom apartment Онанирую на бывшую подружку I am remembering on my ex-girlfriend В полумраке полумесяц в полумаске In the half-light a half-moon in a half mask Следит как я готовлю себе кофе по- More to follow as I make myself coffee in лубянски Lubyanka Обычный день, обычный день, обычный An ordinary day, an ordinary day, an ordinary день. day, an ordinary day.

The song's lyrics are openly political and reveal many facts. «In the kubishka of the Capitan GBU» There is a phrase «keep in a pot», which means to keep money at home, not letting them go into circulation. GBU — state budgetary institution. From this, we can conclude that this line indicates theft in housing and utilities. «Mikhail Ivanovich, Antique dealer, and Kum». Mikhail Ivanovich is a thief from the Diamond hand. Members of the inner circle also call Vladimir Putin Mikhail Ivanovich. Antique dealer-the nickname of the criminal authority Ilya Traber, who in the modern world is one of the Russian billionaires. It was the 90s that helped him become rich. Kum is also the nickname of the criminal authority Vladimir Kumarin. He is the leader of the Tambov 35 criminal group in Saint Petersburg. All three of them were friends in the ' 90s. The track says that there is an old photo where all three are captured together and the fact that Putin, Traber and Kumarin closely communicated during the collapse of the USSR remains a fact. On the Internet, you can find common photos, as well as Amateur shoots where old friends are present. «Hundreds of branches of Kushchevka» - In November 2010, in the village of Kushchevskaya, Krasnodar territory, 12 people were killed by a group led by a local businessman, Sergey Tsapk. The investigation decided that the group responsible for a series of serious crimes functioned with the connivance of local security forces. «Sugar in the basement of Khrushchev» - the events of September 1999 in Ryazan, when FSB officers were caught in the basement of a residential building for laying RDX (explosives). The incident in Ryazan was preceded by four major terrorist attacks in residential buildings in Buinaksk, Moscow and Volgodonsk, in which, according to official data, Chechen militants were involved. The head of the FSB until 2008, and now Secretary of the security Council Patrushev said that this was an exercise, and there was no sugar in the bags at all. Hence the expression «Ryazan sugar». «Rapping for a Seoul sister» the Seoul Sister is a blog in LiveJournal, presumably Putin's daughter. «Distant and nobody's like Surgutneftegaz». Surgutneftegaz is one of the largest oils and gas concerns in the country. Data about the owners is strictly classified, and a number of investigations lead to Vladimir Putin. The ownership structure is hidden by a scheme of 23 firms. «Coffee in Lubyanka» - FSB Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Litvinenko, who fled Russia and received political asylum in the UK, was poisoned with Polonium-210 — an extremely rare substance, allegedly by FSB employees. The building on Lubyanskaya square, which in different years belonged to the OGPU-NKVD-KGB of the USSR, is now part of the complex of buildings of the FSB. There are also some obvious indications in the music video itself. A rolled-up cable on a chair is the destruction of the free Internet in Russia. The inverted flag is an international sign that means that the country is gripped by great grief. Burning map of the USSR industry-degradation of all technical and industrial achievements of previous generations. Appendix 1 contains a photo of the main screensaver of the music video-Figure 1 «Husky Music video-October Seventh, 2019». To decipher the Lyrics of the husky rapper's song, an analysis of comments under the video on the official Husky YouTube channel was conducted.48

48 Husky - Seventh of October. Directed by Group ATAKA51. Performed by Husky. 2019 36

Rapper Husky is a threat to the regime, as he expresses in music all the fears of the authorities. Bypassing the music, he finds out the truth. An example is his trip to . With the camera, he went to the airport, where there are fights. He was even captured on this trip. For a Husky to have a political position is to go and see. Husky strives for independence and purity of his views, which is why his texts are so valuable to the people and it was he who managed to start the protest.49 Husky clip has scored 3 186 922 views as of May 20, 2020. As well as 10,622 comments and 131 thousand likes. But Husky is not the only musician who cares about his country. A music group IC3PEAK was banned. In response to the authorities, the musicians began to go another way. IC3PEAK shot a clip against the background of the Kremlin in which actors dressed as RIOT police officers took part. The clip was made in accordance with all regulations in the law, for example, the promotion of Smoking reflected in the clip was colored with pixels. The authorities could not justify the ban on this clip, and it is still in the public domain.50 The music group IC3PEAK expresses its position as musicians who speak for other people what they are afraid to say. Musicians write on political topics and their concerts have become banned throughout Russia. The 2018 tour was completely disrupted.51 Concerts were forbidden a day before the start, for several hours, and even when the musicians were already on stage. This provoked a public response. The group brings political art to the masses. The most discussed project was the video for the song «Death is no More», 2018. Before that, the group raised acute social topics for Russia, such as the protest of the law on homosexuality. Support for the LGBT movement caused the cancellation of concerts. The band is active in Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Project «Death is no More». The song deals with police brutality, lack of freedom of speech, crackdowns on rallies, aggression, and nationalism.

49 Husky, interview by Sergei Minaev. Husky: "I'm not afraid, I don't care." (February 21, 2019). 50 IC3PEAK. There Is No More Death. (2018). 51 BBC News. IC3PEAK, Husky, Friendzone: how concerts are banned in Russia. December 26, 2018. 37

Table 2- Lyrics by IC3PEAK - Death is no More. (Compiled by the author, translated from Russian to English by the author, May 2020).

IC3PEAK lyrics of the song «Death is no Translated by the author More» Я заливаю глаза керосином I fill my eyes with kerosene, Пусть всё горит, пусть всё горит Let it burn, let it burn. На меня смотрит вся Россия The whole of Russia is looking at me, Пусть всё горит, пусть всё горит Let it burn, let it burn. Я заливаю глаза керосином I fill my eyes with kerosene, Пусть всё горит, пусть всё горит Let it burn, let it burn. На меня смотрит вся Россия The whole of Russia is looking at me, Пусть всё горит, пусть всё горит Let it burn, let it burn.

Я теперь готова ко всему на свете I'm ready for anything now, Я отсидела свой срок в интернете I did my time on the Internet, Выхожу на улицу гладить кота I go outside to pet the cat, А его сбивает тачка мента And he gets run over by a COP's car. Я иду по городу в чёрном худи I'm walking through the city in a black hoodie, Тут обычно холодно, злые люди It's usually cold here, angry people. Впереди меня ничего не ждёт There's nothing ahead of me, Но я жду тебя, ты меня найдёшь But I'm waiting for you, you'll find me

В золотых цепях я утопаю в болоте In gold chains, I am drowning in a swamp, Кровь моя чище чистых наркотиков My blood is purer than pure drugs. Вместе с другими тебя скрутят на площади You and the others will be bound in the square, А я скручусь в своей новой жилплощади. And I'll roll it up in my new living space.

The song deals with the problems of the country, the passivity of the people, and their unwillingness to solve problems. Instead of fighting the existing system, many people prefer to 38 turn away from what is happening, «curl up in their living space» and quietly wait for the approach of denouement. The meaning of the song «Death is no More» by IC3PEAK is the inaction and indifference of the people. The total lack of freedom of the people came from their indifference and unwillingness to fight for their rights. The minority that goes to rallies is «twisted» by the police. People who are ready to fight for their freedom are becoming less and less every day because the majority of people are afraid, they do not care about what is happening in the country, they prefer to sit in their homes, in comfortable conditions and feel protected by the four walls of their home. «I fill my eyes with kerosene, let everything burn, let everything burn». The concept of «fill your eyes» - can be interpreted as applies indifferently. «The whole of Russia is looking at me. Let everything burn, let everything burn» - there is no culture of resistance to the regime. We are talking about the political situation in the country and the fact that the law is working against civilians. «I did my time on the Internet». «Term on the Internet» is an irony that at the moment people can go to jail for speaking out on social networks. Also, the term on the Internet can be called house arrest. In addition, today, people's lives are rather not on the street, in the real world, and is located on the Internet. «I go out on the street to pet the cat, and the COP's car runs over it». We are talking about the total impunity and permissiveness of the authorities. A person with connections, money, or position in society can do whatever they want with impunity. «Together with the others, you will be twisted in the square, and I will be twisted in my new living space». The government prefers only to disperse people's protests and rallies. The police use force against the protesters and the humans are helpless. While some people are fighting for their freedom by going out to the square, others are silent and quiet in their apartments and are afraid. The main idea of the song is that indifference will lead to death sooner or later. To close your eyes to the main problems of your country is the same as pouring kerosene on yourself – you can burn yourself, pass a death sentence. The abolition of free speech, which began with arrests for speaking out on social media, will grow. 52 Also, the clip of the group IC3PEAK carries a lot of protests.  Artists pour kerosene on themselves against the background of the government house «Appendix 1, Figure 2 – IC3PEAK – Music video « Death is no More»;

52 Kakoy Smysl. The meaning of the song "Death is no More" by IC3PEAK. 2019. 39

 Sing on the shoulders of riot police officers « Appendix 1, Figure 3 – IC3PEAK - Music video « Death is no More»;  Eat raw meat against the background of the mausoleum «Appendix 1, Figure 4 – IC3PEAK - Music video « Death is no More».53

3.2. Case of protest filmmaking

Russian musicians take a radical approach. And this has a greater impact on the masses, causing aggression from the authorities. Directors also direct their creativity against the system. More and more films appear on acute social topics. An example of a Director who touches on politics in his work is Elena Pogrebizhskaya and her film «Mother, I will kill you».54 Elena publishes her works on her YouTube channel. It has more than 53 thousand subscribers. The official version of the film was released in 2013. a few years later, the film was viewed at the government House. The version watched by the authorities was published in December 2019.55 It is more radical and less artistic. The film is about orphaned children in a boarding school. A boarding school is for children with developmental problems, but there are healthy children in it. The author of the film tells several stories of children. They are sent to a psychiatric hospital for disobedience, not taught. Specialists working there are sure that children are «not like us». However, the test for awarding a psychological deviation takes 30 minutes. And this time is the sentence of a lifetime. Children after boarding school do not have the opportunity to get an education, to arrange their lives. From them initially make labor force, for service «normal» people. In a boarding school, students learn the program up to grade 4 of a normal school, read fairy tales and light stories. Children can't go out; they can't be alone. They are punished for violations of internal laws. They hide the truth from them, about their families, that they have no future – they will not become designers, military or Dolphin trainers. Their fate was determined by the Commission in 30 minutes. Why did these children get such an attitude towards themselves? Their parents have

53 IC3PEAK. There Is No More Death. 2018. 54 Mother, I will kill you. . Directed by Elena Pogrebizhskaya. 2013. 55 Mother, I will kill you. Unofficial version. Directed by Elena Pogrebizhskaya. 2019. 40 problems with alcohol and are deprived of parental rights. In the film, Elena tells the story of a boarding school in the suburbs of Kolomna. But there are thousands of such boarding schools. There are about a million social orphans in Russia and their number is only growing every year. Every second orphan is assigned a psychiatric diagnosis. Only 10% of boarding school graduates adapt to life. 40% become alcoholics and drug addicts.40% commit crimes. 10% commit suicide. From these statistics, we can say that this is genocide against its own citizens. The government does not see the problem, and the system that remained with the USSR continues to exist. There are people who work at the boarding school who believe that they are sick. They are also slaves to this system and regime. Totalitarian approaches in their views have been preserved since Soviet times, they believe that they are doing good. Children are clothed, fed, and have material possessions. But there is no most important thing – freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of choice, and the right to education. They are not adapted to life.56 It is the 2019 version of the film. Influenced changes in legislation. The analysis of the film is based on the latest version of 2019, uploaded to the Director's official channel. The last considered art project was the group AES+F-which consists of 4 artists. It was founded in 1987 from three artists, in 1995 they were joined by another. The team works with photography, video, illustration, and animation. This is an example of politicized creativity, raising social issues that are ignored by the authorities. The art group moves the problems that need to be solved. In 2016, they released a video - INVERSO MUNDUS.57 The artists themselves openly don't talk about politics. And the meaning of their works in the interpretation of the artists themselves looks without the intervention of politics. They name to their work Inverso Mundus as «the inverted world». A pig disembowels a butcher, a child punishes his teacher, a man carries a donkey on his back, a man and woman exchange roles and clothes, and a beggar in rags generously gives alms to a rich man. The video depicts demons, chimeras, fish flying through the sky, and death itself, variously with a scythe or in the mask of a Plague doctor. The title of the work, Inverso Mundus, hints at a reinterpretation of reality, a poetic vision. Interpreted episodes of modern life in a multi-channel video installation. Characters act out scenes

56 The Constitution of the Russian Federation. Chapter 2. Human rights and freedoms. 1993. 57 Inverso Mundus. Directed by AES+F Art group. 2016. 41 of absurd social utopias and exchange masks, turning from beggars to rich men, from policemen to thieves. Metrosexual street cleaners are showering the city with garbage. Female inquisitors tortured men on the buildings in the style of IKEA. Children and old people fight in a kickboxing match. Inverso Mundus is a world where chimeras are pets and the Apocalypse is entertainment. But there are pictures in the video that the authors do not comment on. People in suits sit, get bored, do nothing. This can be defined as how the working class works, and the government-managers, they do not know what to do with theyself «Appendix 1, Figure 1 - AES+F – INVERSO MUNDUS». Next, the problem of equality in Russia is played out. The video shows a coup as if the women had switched places with the men. However, in modern Russia, women are still chained in the cage of the Patriarchy «Appendix 1, Figure 6 - AES+F – INVERSO MUNDUS». Police in the Palace. Husky also sang about this, about the new nobles. Here the meaning is the same. Police officers in Russia and the government have all the benefits and power when the common people often live on the last money, pensioners and the working class survive with difficulty «Appendix 1, Figure 7 - AES+F – INVERSO MUNDUS». But both rich and poor in Russia bear the regime on their shoulders and suffer from it «Appendix 1, Figure 8 - AES+F – INVERSO MUNDUS».

3.3. Results of actions, the reaction of the authorities

Before the release of the video for the song «Seventh of October». Husky was being arrested. On November 20, 2018, the security forces, according to representatives of the rapper, restricted the audience's entrance to a concert in Rostov-on-don, the performance had to be conducted without musical accompaniment. On November 22, Husky was detained in Krasnodar, where he performed a song on the roof of a car. The court sentenced the rapper to administrative arrest, the defense sought to cancel the execution of the sentence, but the guilt of Husky in hooliganism was confirmed by the Krasnodar regional court. The young people who came that evening chanted lines from songs. The action was equated to a rally. The Husky rapper was sentenced to 12 days for the offense. The Protocol refers to minor hooliganism, namely the organization of mass stay of citizens in a public place. The court found no evidence of a crime. 42

This caused a wave of protests. Musicians such as , Noize MC, Basta held a concert in support of Husky. The broadcast was on the independent channel Dozhd and was organized using Vkontakte. This gave rise to the flash mob. Ordinary citizens, musicians, and artists began to express their position. Husky unwittingly organized a mass protest the actions of the authorities. The attitude of the people to the authorities became worse, those who supported the government took a position against it. The 2018 elections and the violation of all rights during them, in addition to the ban on music and other forms of art, became the point when the Russian people began to take real action, knowing all the consequences. It became possible to be together and achieve changes together. Music protest with the spread of the Internet has become more real than ever. Husky in his speeches removed all the lines that raise questions from the inspection authorities. But he created an interactive one so that people in the audience could read them out. Law enforcement agencies cannot hold all those who came to the concert accountable. And this is the strength to defend your position. People themselves continue the forbidden line, as they become criminals to some extent-they go against the authorities. After the events of 2018, Husky in 2019 releases a clip that becomes a push for mass mobilization. The text and video sparked a lively discussion among YouTube users. YouTube users also linked Husky's critical rhetoric to the government with performances in Krasnodar and Rostov. After the events of 2018, the authorities monitored the musician's work. Back in 2018, the Krasnodar court banned the distribution of Husky clips in Russia. The song «Seventh of October» was Played at Husky concerts in 2018. Therefore, in 2018, the Husky song «Seventh of October» continued the trend of politicizing the creativity of Russian artists. So, in 2018, the rapper Face (Ivan Dremin) completely dedicated his album to politics, religion, and social inequality. The rapper suddenly moved from teen songs to an acutely social rap about power, the Church, corruption, and the judicial system with quotes from . On September 28, Boris Grebenshchikov published a video on his Youtube channel with a performance of the song «Evening M». The text of the composition contains a collective image of the host of socio-political programs, «a true worker of our times», who «will tell everything that 43 is ordered and answer every question». By 04.50 Moscow time on October 11, the video «Evening M» has gained more than 2.552 million views and more than 234 thousand likes.58 After the official clip of 2019, there is almost no information about Husky. He has participated in several collaborations with other artists. Information about reprisals and events following the clip is not publicly available. With his action, Husky led the protest. The radicalism of his act became an impetus for creativity and political and artistic struggle. The result of the IC3PEAK video was the ban on concerts and music. The band's concerts were massively canceled. Many musicians and YouTube channels began to shoot videos and video appeals in support of the musicians. The program «Find out in 10 seconds» dedicated an entire issue to the musicians, which deals with political music and Russian musicians of different genres, which, like IC3PEAK screams about what is important.59 In their interview, they say that the worst thing is if music is banned. In Russia, it is time for the emergence of political art. This is due to the onset of mass reposts and statements on the Internet. Any work of art is available and can get a response from people in the form of comments. The modern form of activism and mobilization through art events. Freedom of speech is regulated by the state and a person can be prosecuted for alike on the Internet, including for supporting art activism. In this case, the question arises, who are the artists who deal with political topics: artists who Express their opinions about dissatisfaction with the political system, or criminals who mobilize protests. This line is erased. Dissent in an undemocratic country causes a lot of problems, poses a virtual threat, but changes people's thinking. The IC3PEAK group is confident that it is not necessary to organize mass riots, turn over cars, and set fire to buildings. The protest must come from liberal ways. Changing education, moving away from totalitarianism in Russian schools, and developing a stable civil position.60 The musicians were repressed by the authorities. Also, their music video was commented on by Director Nikita Mikhalkov, who can be attributed to the cultural elite that supports the regime. He accuses the musicians of promoting death and suicide, of destroying values and shrines.

58 Kavkaz Uzel. The Husky song about Kadyrov street highlighted the oppositional trend in Russian music. October 11, 2019 59 AFISHA. Find out in 10 seconds | IC3PEAK guess tracks. December 3, 2018. 60 IC3PEAK, Musical group, interview by Leva Levchenko. IC3PEAK: "It's Scary if they start banning music» (October 18, 2018). 44

According to him, a person should honor their history, not desecrate the memory of their ancestors.61 In part, he is right, he is an adherent of traditionalism and the views of the USSR. Therefore, it sees the meaning, which is obvious. Unlike the Husky rapper, the IC3PEAK group has fewer political problems. The authorities understand the meaning of their songs literally. The result of the film Elena Pogrebizhskaya was the reform of orphanages. With her film, she influenced power and decision-making. The film also raised a wave of citizens ' mobilization – there were more volunteers and interested people. After all, children are the future of the country and in a few years, they will become adults-influencing domestic politics. In February 2019, an article about the interim results of the reform was published. The reform itself began in 2015, and the main priority of the reform is the fastest possible return of the child to a blood family or placement in a foster home. Government resolution No. 481 «on the activities of organizations for orphaned children» has significantly changed the situation. In the period from 2016 to 2018, in 33 regions of the Russian Federation, most of the institutions managed to transition to the apartment type and were able to reduce the occupancy of groups. According to Elena Alshanskaya, President of the Foundation «Volunteers to help orphaned children», pupils of almost all orphanages have been «brought out to study" in regular schools, and children from many orphanages have started receiving educational services for the first time. The number of children returning to blood families and being placed in foster homes has increased.62 The liberal approach of the film Director Elena Pogrebizhskaya's impact on a social problem. This is one of the few examples where the government has responded to the voice of the people-the artist. The liberal example of the AES+F group represents the complete indifference of the authorities. Artists talk about medieval worldviews, which they try to convey. They are used to view the modern world with its values and conflicts. Artists are constantly engaged in the exploration of their own borders, provoking the audience. The conversation with society for artists

61 Comments on IC3PEAK music video. Directed by Nilita Mihalkov. 2018. 62 Kommersant.ru. The government summed up the interim results of the reform of orphanages. Feb 2, 2019. 45 only through a visual image is less interesting. The absence of a text promoting opposition views is not perceived as a threat to the government.63 Summing up the conclusions of the study, you can make a classification. This clearly shows the relationship between a radical and liberal approach and the reaction of the population and the results. In authoritarian Russia, the use of the two methods is relevant, but only the liberal one really changes the social and political situation. The study proved that a liberal approach can be invisible to the authorities. However, constructive criticism of the problem and suggestions for improving this situation is perceived positively by the authorities, and they take measures to solve it. Thus, the liberal approach of one artist can change the decision-making process. But it is a radical approach in an authoritarian country that mobilizes protest actions. The views of the rapper Husky, the musical group IC3PEAK are perceived by the people, have maximum support, and mobilize other artists to political action. For a radical, oppositional approach, artists suffer repression, but citizens become more active. A sense of unity and belief in regime change drives the crowd. Social media mobilization has become an example of political communication. Russian citizens actively discuss and comment on political actions and art protests, create actions and petitions. The table below «Table 3» classifies the four examples considered. In the classification, you can see how aggressive radical, radical, and liberal and soft liberal approaches act on people and get or do not get results from the government.

63 AES+F, Art group, interview by Luiza Nizamova. Art group AES+F about the language of video, sculpture and work on the Opera (June 14, 2019). 46

Table 3- Author's classification of artists by results of political influence

Artists and art Content The reaction of Feedback from Performance the authorities society result to the actions of artists Musician and Against the Subjected to Bright lighting in Development of rapper Husky power of repression by the the press. the protest Vladimir Putin, authorities. For Thousands of movement, against the his activities, he music video active regime. Radical. served a prison views on mobilization of Has a unique sentence of 12 YouTube. Great musicians for opinion on topics days. popularity, fame. politicized art. that are important in politics. Lots of political musical videos. Music group A radical music Repression by Comments of The mobilization IC3PEAK group. They the authorities. elite artists. of young people. raised the themes Bans on Many interviews Increased interest of passivity in concerts. with a music of the adult society and group. generation due to acceptance of the comments from regime. elite representatives of Russian culture. Directed by Liberal Positive Popularity on the Reform in the Elena approach. She is authorities. Full personal law. Pogrebizhskaya engaged in 47

documentaries creative YouTube A solution to a on acute social freedom. channel. social problem. topics. Art group Liberal Ignored by the Minimal media Freedom in AES+F approach. authorities. coverage. Small creativity. Open Promotion of art popularity. to the exhibition. as a form of a Continuous monologue with communication the audience. of ideas to Raising social people. and cultural issues.

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CONCLUSION

Politicized art during the rule of the authoritarian regime has an impact on Russian politics. It changes the Outlook and values of society, especially the younger generation. Nihilism, denial of authority, abstractness, an insult to the morals and principles of the majority – these are not the foundations of modern politicized art. But they are referred to by a political critic or a representative of the cultural elite. It is the critical statements of government representatives that provoke public interest in an art event or action. Freedom on the Internet, which, despite the interference of the authorities and the laws governing freedom, provides the public with an opportunity to interpret. The political influence of artists, their actions, and their views reflect the problems of Russia. But in the political sphere, art activism is perceived by the authorities as hooliganism and rarely remains in history. This can be explained by the fact that the government is afraid of the development of citizens ' doubts and any suppression of dissent is the preservation of state ideas. Political art has a short term, this is since it speaks about a specific problem that is gradually forgotten by citizens and they live on. If the influence of art led to mass mobilization and regime change – it would become one of the most significant political events in Russia. Art itself, its various hypostases, are part of a global ideological dispute, a clash in the struggle for influence on the mass consciousness of Western postmodernism and traditional conservative values in Russia. This can explain the eternal dispute between the older generation, who live by the ideas of the USSR, and the younger generation, who strive for globalization and innovative views and solutions. This trend can also be observed in responses from interviews. Since it involved two people, one of whom is 35 years old, and the second is 65 years old. Their views on the regime, the political situation, state problems, as well as on the degree of influence of art on politics are radically different. The development of social mobilization has its roots in the Soviet regime when the first protests were born when the fight against the authoritarian regime could only be conducted in non- obvious ways. Every year, the regime in Russia becomes more authoritarian and this becomes an impetus for the development of art activism. The tightening of the regime, the repression of citizens, the disappearance of opposition leaders-this requires not non-obvious solutions. The threat to the life and freedom of the opposition forces to mobilize through art and social networks. 49

As the example of the art group AES+F shows, it is an art that can be a translator of new values, while at the same time being invisible to the government. Features of the authoritarian regime are different consequences of social mobilization. The most obvious may be the repression of art movement leaders. Rapper Husky is subjected to these repressions throughout his career, but his music remains popular, it moves citizens to action, to defend their position. The concerts of rapper Husky, IC3PEAK, and others are blocked-this is an attempt by the authorities to suppress the mobilization, but the reaction of the authorities further mobilizes citizens. Especially dangerous for the authorities are young people, for whom the government is not an authority. Young people have their own opinions, they listen to leaders on the Internet, they defend the rights of artists. In modern Russia, young people are the voice of the opposition. And this happens, for example, at rallies after canceled concerts, when the crowd shouts forbidden lines from songs. It is the cultural forms of resistance to the authoritarian regime - through text, through video, through music-that are the most effective. It is not possible to officially interpret a non- direct charge against the authorities as a violation of the law. Therefore, culture and art are in demand as a form of resistance. This affects the political process, decision-making, and the agenda. Less obvious resistance practices are more legitimate and more widespread. The chosen hypothesis is that artistic action can change the political agenda and influence decision-making in authoritarian Russia. Fully confirmed. Artists really have the voice and support of the people. As part of the study, research questions were raised, and they can be answered as follows. What level of political influence can artists achieve? It is artists who have a high level of political influence. Their activity is reflected in new laws, reforms, and mobilizes people to action. How exactly do the artists appeal to the masses? With the help of his art. They write songs, make movies, make sculptures, paint pictures, write music, make videos, and do a lot of other creative acts. They speak as best they can. And indeed, in an authoritarian country-their voice, for now, is free. How do the authorities react to the protests? The authorities react to the protest both radically: passing sentences, and liberally: making comments, making amendments to the law, and so on, the authorities also ignore. Tactics of ignoring may be a way of reducing the attention to the art of protest. 50

Modern political culture is not possible without artists. The government, which has its own interest in culture, has the opinion that there is nothing worthy or talented in modern art. Representatives of the authorities who were born in the USSR and raised on the ideology of socialism blindly believe in their truth and competence in all matters. The authoritarianism of Russia can be changed, and it is in the hands of the citizens of the Russian Federation.

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LIST OF LITERATURE AND SOURCES

Literature

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PETERSON A., European Anti-austerity Protests: Beyond “Old” and “New” Social Movements?. 2015. Acta Sociologica No 58, p. 293—310. PETROV, N., Three dilemmas of hybrid regime governance: Russia from Putin to Putin.2013 Taylor and Francis Online, pp. 1-26. SABITOV, M., Sovremennye determinanty massovoj protestnoj aktivnosti v Rossii, Saratov: 2013. SAVENKOV R.V., S. D., Teorii kollektivnogo povedeniya i mobilizacii resursov: razvitie koncepcij analiza politicheskogo protesta. 2018. RUDN Journal of Political Science, p. 555—563. SMORGUNOV, L., Politicheskaya filosofiya i nauka: ot konfrontacii k vzaimovliyaniyu . Ocherki po filosofii i kul'ture. 2001. Saint Petersburg: Sankt-Peterburgskoe filosofskoe obshchestvo. SOINA, E., Politicheskoe protestnoe povedenie v sovremennoj Rossii, Stavropol'. 2008. STEINERT-THRELKELD Z.C., Online Social Networks and Offline Protest No9. 2015.Online Social Networks and Offline Protest, pp. 15-20. TARROW, S., Power in Movement. Social Movement and Contentious Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.2011. TERZI, S., 12 Eylül 1980 SonrasÕ Sanat-Siyaset øliúkisi ve Plastik Sanatlara Etkisi, YayÕnlanmamÕú Yüksek Lisans Tezi. 2008. Izmir: Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi. TITOVA, L., Muzyka kak instrument politicheskoj socializacii molodezhi. 2013. YAroslavskij pedagogicheskij vestnik, p. 6. ZUBKOV, S., Tendencii transformacii rossijskoj modeli vzaimosvyazi politiki, nauki i tekhniki v sovremennyh usloviyah / S.A.Zubkov // . - , 2006. - S.26.. Moscow: Nauchnye trudy aspirantov i doktorantov.

Web sources

ADVOX GLOBAL VOICES. Russian anti-corruption activists are jailed for ‘inciting riots’ based on their tweets and retweets. 2018. [Accessed 3 April 2020] Available at: https://advox.globalvoices.org/2018/05/25/russian-anti-corruption-activists-are- jailed-for-inciting-riots-based-on-their-tweets-and-retweets/. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL. Russia begins blacklisting ‘undesirable’ organizations. 2015. [Accessed 5 April 2020]. Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/07/russia-begins-blacklisting- undesirable-organizations/ BBC NEWS, Russia enacts draconian law for bloggers and online media. 2014. [Accessed April 2020]. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28583669 53

BBC NEWS, Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead. 2015. [Accessed 27 March 2020].Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31669061 BBC NEWS, 2015. Russia's Putin signs law against 'undesirable' NGOs. [Accessed 20 April 2020].Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32860526 Britannica. The visual arts. [Accessed 20 March 2019]. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia/The-visual-arts CRESCI, E., Russian YouTuber convicted for playing Pokémon Go in church. 2017. [Accessed 9 April 2020]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/11/pokemon-go- russian-youtuber-convicted-playing-church-ruslan-sokolovsky CSCE. Russian Federation. [Accessed 5 March 2020] Available at: https://www.csce.gov/country/russian-federation?page=5. KAKOY SMYSL, 2019. The meaning of the song "Death is no More" by IC3PEAK. [Accessed 3 May 2020]. Available at: https://kakoy-smysl.ru/meaning-song/smysl-pesni-smerti-bolshe-net- gruppy-/ KAVKAZ UZEL, The Husky song about Kadyrov street highlighted the oppositional trend in Russian music.2019. [Accessed 11 March 2020]. Available at: https://www.kavkaz- uzel.eu/articles/341074/ KOMMERSANT.RU, The government summed up the interim results of the reform of orphanages.2019. [Accessed 9 April 2020]. Available at: https://yandex.ru/turbo?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kommersant.ru%2Fdoc%2F3872934 MEDIAZONA, Obvinenie zaprosilo figurantam penzenskogo dela sroki ot 6 do 18 let kolonii. 2019. [Accessed 20 April 2020]. Available at: https://zona.media/news/2019/12/26/set-prenija MEDUZA, "I slide like a water skater on Kadyrov street, Rotenberg Avenue" Husky released a clip for Putin's birthday. 2019. [Accessed 1 March 2020]. Available at: https://meduza.io/shapito/2019/10/08/ya-skolzhu-kak-vodomerka-po-ulitse-kadyrova-prospektu- rotenberga-haski-vypustil-klip-k-dnyu-rozhdeniya-putina. NAVALNY, A., Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny gets suspended sentence but brother jailed. 2014. [Accessed 10 April 2020]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/30/kremlin-critic-navalny-given-suspended- sentence-brother-jailed OBD- Info, Delo o terroristicheskom soobshchestve «Set'». 2018. [Accessed 20 April 2020]. Available at: https://ovdinfo.org/story/delo-o-terroristicheskom-soobshchestve-set Polygraph, What Putin Says About Rights and Freedoms in Russia vs. the Facts. 2018. [Accessed 9 March 2020]. Available at: https://www.polygraph.info/a/putin-free-speech- political/29284076.html 54

ROTHSTEIN, E., Musical freedom and why dictators fear it. 1981. [Accessed 12 April 2020]. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/arts/musical-freedom-and-why-dictators- fear-it.html RUTOV, I., V Permi iz-za Stalina s klykami i medvedya s genitaliyami zakryli vystavku pro Olimpiadu v Sochi. 2013. [Accessed 28 April 2020]. Available at: http://www.topnews.ru/news_id_58744.html SERGIENKO, A., I will sell Putin — I need to feed my children. 2012.[Accessed 19 April 2019]. Available at: https://www.peoples.ru/art/painter/alexey_sergienko/ TIEFENTHAL, A., Art and politics. 2013. [Accessed 9 March 2020]. Available at: https://arterritory.com/ru/vizualnoe_iskusstvo/stati/5610-iskusstvo_i_politika/ TIME NEWS 24, Madonna in Moscow: concert at the Olympic in support of Pussy Wright. 2012. [Accessed 25 April 2020]. Available at: http://www.timenews24.ru/madonna-v-moskve-koncert- v-olimpijskom-v-podderzhku-pusi-rajt/ TROIANOVSKI, A., In Russia, an Updated Law With New Restrictions on Freedom of Speech. 2019. [Accessed 1 May 2020]. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/02/world/europe/russia-foreign-agents-law.html VLASKIN, A., Sovremennoe iskusstvo kak instrument vliyaniya na politiku Rossijskoj Federacii. 2015. [Accessed 15 March 2020]. Available at: https://riss.ru/analitycs/22761/

Interview

Art group AES+F about the language of video, sculpture and work on the Opera [Interview by Luiza Nizamova] (14 June 2019). Anonymous interview with a political figure dealing with art in Russia, 3. y., 2020. Empirical research on the political influence of art in Russia [Interview] (15 February 2020). Anonymous interview with a Russian politician who deals with economic issues in the government of the Russian Federation, 6. y., 2020. Empirical research on the political influence of art in Russia [Interview] (8 March 2020). Husky, 2019. Husky: "I'm not afraid, I don't care." [Interview] (21 February 2019). IC3PEAK, M. g., 2018. IC3PEAK: "It's Scary if they start banning music» [Interview] (18 October 2018).

55 legal documents

The Art without borders Foundation organized the exhibition, 2015. At the bottom.. The Constitution of the Russian Federation. Chapter 2. Human rights and freedoms. 1993. Russia - Human rights and governance. 2016. [Accessed 1 April 2020]. Available at: https://www.ecfr.eu/scorecard/2016/russia/25 Master Frames and Cycles of Protest. Frontiers in Social Movement theory. 1992. London: Yale University Press.

Video resources

AFISHA. Find out in 10 seconds | IC3PEAK guess tracks. 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbbwYL-2KY0 BBC News, IC3PEAK, Husky, Friendzone: how concerts are banned in Russia, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQf77YpV3bA Comments on IC3PEAK music video. 2018. [Video] Directed by Nilita Mihalkov. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVysBbSQVM0 Husky - Seventh of October. 2019. [Video] Directed by Group ATAKA51. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNVpp5haQac. IC3PEAK, 2018. There Is No More Death. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBG3Gdt5OGs Inverso Mundus. 2016. [Film] Directed by AES+F Art group. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oWMdi6c-9c. Mother, I will kill you.. 2013. [Film] Directed by Elena Pogrebizhskaya. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu03J1svd-c Mother, I will kill you. Unofficial version. 2019. [Film] Directed by Elena Pogrebizhskaya. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbVjOqc3HPU TV channel Dozhd', 2018. Oxxxymiron, Noize MC, Basta. Full version of the concert. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR7nQc4BJlI&t=255s

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APPENDIX

APPENDIX 1. PHOTO MATERIALS

Figure 2- «Husky Music video-October Seventh, 2019.

Figure 3- IC3PEAK – Music video « Death is no More», 2018. 57

Figure 4 - IC3PEAK – Music video « Death is no More», 2018.

Figure 5 - IC3PEAK – Music video « Death is no More», 2018. 58

Figure 6 - AES+F – INVERSO MUNDUS

Figure 7 - AES+F – INVERSO MUNDUS 59

Figure 8- AES+F – INVERSO MUNDUS

Figure 9 - AES+F – INVERSO MUNDUS

60

APPENDIX 2. INTERVIEW MATERIALS

Interview with experts № 1

Anonymous interview with a political figure dealing with art in Russia, 35 years.

1. Do you follow the situation of social movements and mobilizations? Definitely. I am a citizen of my country and the political situation is extremely important to me. In my line of work, I work with people, and how they perceive the language of art, how they react to what is happening, is extremely important to me.

2. Tell us your opinion, how do you see the influence of art on Russian politics? Since 2000, many art activists have appeared. Which periodically make protest actions against the government and the regime. Citizens change their opinions, laws and the decision- making process at the local level do change significantly. Since the political influence of art is developing, we can speak about this influence more confidently. I can see the influence most clearly on the Internet. For example, music or video reaches people and authorities very quickly. Artists suffer repression under an authoritarian regime. This means that politicized art is a danger to the authorities.

3. Do you see the results of social movements and art activism in Russia? In fact, it is difficult to see exactly the results. The authorities do not want to advertise that this or any other action of the social movement caused the change of the agenda. But if you follow it in more detail, you can see progress. Thanks to artists, citizens of an authoritarian state began to have a voice. Protest actions have more participants, young people are not afraid to speak. In fact, for young people, as the events of 2018 show (cancellations of concerts, bans on exhibitions and films), the government does not have power and the younger generation is ready to follow the opinion leaders.

4. Is it possible to change the regime through social mobilization? 61

In my opinion, yes. In former authoritarian countries, only the mobilization of citizens overthrew the government, for example, by means of color revolutions. Therefore, what artists and people who support them do are very valuable for the future. Nonviolent influence and influence from the other side – only this can change the situation in modern Russia. The political views of the authorities have not changed for many years, and this is probably the only way to achieve progress in a peaceful way.

5. Can we call the art form of political communication? Yes, moreover, art can be called a form of political propaganda. Politicians themselves use art to convey their ideas to the people. Art, in this case, is a universal tool through which politicians and artists speak to the people, and the people already react with protests, most often on the Internet.

6. If all political problems are solved, will art disappear? If the life of art is without acute social themes? A very idealistic question. In my opinion, political problems will never disappear. As long as there is a person, there will be an eternal dispute for power and rights. But if we imagine that we are in a utopian world. Where, indeed, there are no political and social problems, art will continue to exist. Art is a universal language that is understandable regardless of culture, language, nationality, etc. Even a person who is far from art can understand it, even in his own way, but he will find an idea in it. The main gift of art is to adapt to any topic and problem. Since a person's life is not separable from problems: diseases, hunger, etc.; it is not separable from joy: love, the birth of a new person, the enjoyment of life. Art will speak! There is a fine line between social art and art in general. Social art has a theme, it is always about something special, concrete. And art as a given is sometimes just beautiful, unusual, and touching to the eye. When you look at Banksy's graffiti, you realize that Yes, this problem exists, it needs to be solved. You may feel that your actions may change the world. And if you went to the Hermitage or the theater, you were interested, beautiful, you understood something. But to say that art has left a trace in you, that you spend hours thinking about what you saw, that this feeling forces you to act – alas, it is impossible to say. Art, without acute social themes, will not disappear, of course, but the sense of cohesion and mobilization will disappear. 62

7. With the development of the Internet, there is a huge number of artists, musicians, and other artists. Do you think this has a positive impact on the quality of art and communication of ideas to the people? Or is it creating new lines of propaganda? On the one hand, it's great that more people are starting to engage in art. They hone their skills. That today the artist is not just a beggar in the basement, but a respected person. After art in the USSR and the hard '90s, it became prestigious to engage in art and earn money on art, it became possible. Great competition forces masters to hone their skills, treat each creation carefully. Also, the more artists speak, the more people can hear them. There are more opinion leaders, but of course, we can't rule out fake ideas. There are artists who understand the problem, go to the scene of events, read documents, communicate with people. And there are those who read on the Internet and start writing songs about injustice. It's easy for people to get caught. Also, it seems to me, the authorities can use weapons of art - created your own opinion leaders in art and broadcast your ideas through them.

8. Do you think that the government should pay more attention to drug trafficking, corruption, tax increases, and other social problems than banning musicians from performing, for example? The state must solve the main problems. Musicians who sing about political issues in the first place say that there are such problems. If a musician sings about drugs, the authorities perceive it as drug propaganda. But in fact, the artist is talking about a problem that requires measures and solutions. The voice of the people through art translates what is actually happening on the streets and in homes. Forbidding art is like trying to hold water between your fingers, it will still leak out. There are many problems in Russia that need to be solved. But the authorities for some reason decide to disperse into small ones, rather than solve the important ones. Russian authoritarianism suppresses any improvement in people's social life.

9. How much do you think politics depends on art? And what degree of influence does art have on the development of social ideas? As I said earlier, the policy uses the arts for propaganda. And so, we can conclude that politics is quite dependent on art. For example, in the USSR, artists created military posters, 63 portraits of power, and so on. Even now, the tradition of designating their political ideas by means of paintings and posters is very popular. You can't separate the success of the authorities from the art. The authorities have a tactic to paint themselves in a winning light at the expense of artists, calling them vandals and their actions immoral. This is successfully supported by the adult population of Russia. But if we talk about the influence of art on social ideas, I would like to note that most of the social movements are born of art. And the development of social ideas occurs because the authors of artistic works use the Internet. They write explanations under their works and achieve the translation of information between the lines. Society sees a work of art-an idea is born, and ways to achieve it. It cannot be said that the country's political development is solely due to art, but it has a great role in shaping politics and political processes.

64

Interview with experts № 2

Anonymous interview with a Russian politician who deals with economic issues in the government of the Russian Federation, 65 years.

1. Do you follow the situation of social movements and mobilizations? Yes, I am closely monitoring the situation. This is my direct duty in the line of duty.

2. Tell us your opinion, how do you see the influence of art on Russian politics? In my opinion, in modern Russia, art has minimal or no influence on politics. This is because now are no socially significant poems or songs. Created works of art in the Soviet era no longer have power over political processes, and the actions of contemporary artists are not able to change the decision-making process.

3. Do you see the results of social movements and art activism in Russia? The results of social movements-yes, art activism-no. Social movements are changing the situation on the ground. I mean, socially active citizens are making improvements in their regions. But on a national scale, social movements are not significant. Most of the rallies are held because of disagreement with the elections, but the minority, which is led by the opposition, rallies. In General, social movements can be described as weak. But if we compare it with the 90s, activity is growing. Citizens of the Russian Federation have become more interested in the agenda.

4. Is it possible to change the regime through social mobilization? Yes, of course, it is possible. There are many examples of this. Social movements can change laws and weaken authoritarianism. For example, in Poland, when citizens do not agree with a political decision – they go out on the street and can correct political processes by protesting, but you need to clarify that there is a different political regime there. Or in soft forms of regime change by means of social mobilization. But this is not possible in Russia. The fact is that authoritarianism is a more rational system for Russia. Many nationalities and Republics, management that relies on large and small businesses, laws, and codes that stand for the interests of the majority, Russian management – this is a complex system that has pros and cons, but it is it 65 that gives the well-being of citizens. Therefore, answering the question, I will say that a change in the regime is possible, but in Russia, social mobilization is very weak, and it cannot do it.

5. Can we call the art form of political communication? I would say that art claims to be a form of political communication. Still, art is a different field.

6. If all political problems are solved, will art disappear? If the life of art is without acute social themes? If all political problems are solved, art will continue to live. After all, creative activity is primarily about the beautiful, about the human soul. Artists try to politicize art because every citizen has his own political position and expresses it as best he can. But what is associated with politicized art often crosses the line of the law. The protest movement of artists is most often the promotion of Smoking, drugs, and other prohibited in the country. There will always be those who will protest, harming the younger generation.

7. With the development of the Internet, there is a huge number of artists, musicians, and other artists. Do you think this has a positive impact on the quality of art and communication of ideas to the people? Or is it creating new lines of propaganda? Because of the Internet, many artists have appeared, but their number worsens the quality of the art. Previously, the value of art was in its uniqueness, but today art has become available, and this reduces its significance. There are more and more laymen who work for quantity rather than quality. Thus, art impoverishes itself, exhausts itself. This tendency makes society not to take art seriously. But propaganda is terrible for children who are at maximum risk because of their little experience and age.

8. Do you think that the government should pay more attention to drug trafficking, corruption, tax increases, and other social problems than banning musicians from performing, for example? 66

I work in the government and I understand that we need to do more to reduce drug trafficking, raise taxes for people with high incomes, fight corruption, but control the actions of art activists and offenders also need. But the government should also encourage the development of art. The authorities should create circles and sections. We need to attract young people to art classes and look for gifted people.

9. How much do you think politics depends on art? And what degree of influence does art have on the development of social ideas? Politics depends on art. This connection can be traced through the participation of politicians in cultural life. Through art forms used by politicians to convey information to the people. The development of culture is also one of the key tasks for Russia. The Ministry of the culture of the Russian Federation is taking measures to improve the situation with art. I don't agree that art develops social ideas. Social ideas are more often born in classrooms, in philosophy classes, but not in the art workshops. But, of course, art has a huge impact on society and its development. So we can say with confidence that art and politics are connected, but independent of each other.