A Russian man has been fined 50,000 rubles ($650) for “discrediting the military” by playing a Ukrainian song in his car.
The Novovoronezh City Court said the man, 23-year-old Stanislav Oreshchenko from the Voronezh region, played the song “Gulyanka” by Ukrainian cross-dressing comedian Verka Serduchka from his car outside an apartment building one evening, Russian news outlet Mediazona reported on Tuesday.
The song contains a line that says “Ukraine has not yet perished,” which the court argues represents “support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which are opposing the Russian armed forces.”
Russia introduced the law in March 2022, days after it launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian State Duma Chairperson Vyacheslav Volodin said the bill aims to “protect our soldiers, officers, in order to protect the truth” at the time.
Verka Serduchka is a drag persona of Ukrainian comedian Andriy Danylko, portrayed as a middle-aged woman from a rural family. The persona represented Ukraine in Eurovision 2007.
Mediazona said this has been the second time a local has been fined for playing the same song. The outlet said in November 2025, Pavel Vakhrushev – another local from the Voronezh region – was also fined 50,000 rubles for playing the song outside a local club.
Vakhrushev later published a public apology, flanked by Russian flags and the coat of arms, in a video shared by Russian media outlet Kommersant.
In August 2025, a Russian man was charged with petty hooliganism after his friend played a Ukrainian song at his birthday party. He later issued two public apologies – one laced with profanities and delivered while holding a religious icon to his villagers, and another to law enforcement.