An audacious act of defiance in St. Petersburg has led to the arrest and jailing of a teenage street musician. Diana Loginova, known by her stage name Naoko, captivated a crowd with an anti-Putin rock anthem, a bold move that local reports have described as a rare confrontation against the Russian regime.

Loginova, an 18-year-old performer with the band Stoptime, was detained following her public rendition of “Swan Lake Cooperative,” a song by exiled rapper Noize MC. The lyrics, seen as a challenge to authority, resonated with the gathered crowd, prompting swift action from local law enforcement.

The Moscow Times reported that Loginova faces an administrative charge for orchestrating an unauthorized public gathering, leading to a 13-day jail sentence. This punishment doesn’t mark the end of her legal troubles, as she is also set to confront an additional charge of “discrediting” the Russian military, according to Reuters.

In a powerful image captured by Reuters photographer Anton Vaganov, Loginova is seen having her handcuffs removed by a Russian officer before a court hearing, highlighting the gravity of her situation. The moment underscores the tension between artistic expression and governmental oversight in Russia.

Loginova, who performs under the name Naoko with the band Stoptime, was arrested Tuesday after being filmed earlier leading a crowd in singing the lyrics to exiled rapper Noize MC’s hit song “Swan Lake Cooperative.”

Noize MC, the musician who wrote “Swan Lake Cooperative,” is openly critical of the Kremlin and left Russia for Lithuania after the start of the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow Dec. 19, 2024 (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)

For its part, Moscow has added him to its list of “foreign agents,” which includes hundreds of individuals and entities accused of conducting subversive activities with support from abroad, Reuters reported.

The song doesn’t reference Russian President Vladimir Putin or mention the war in Ukraine. It is a reference to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, which was played on television after the deaths of Soviet leaders and during the 1991 coup attempt against President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Diana Loginova, an 18-year-old street musician performing under the name Naoko, sits in a courtroom before a hearing in Saint Petersburg. (Anton Vaganov/Reuters)

In May, a St. Petersburg court banned the song on grounds it “may contain signs of justification and excuse for hostile, hateful attitudes towards people, as well as statements promoting violent changes to the foundations of the constitutional order.”