Earlier this week, instead of playing one of his long-anticipated, sold-out arena shows in Russia, Oxxxymiron gave an antiwar concert in a packed club in Istanbul. A crowd of Russians, many of whom had left their own country, filled the club, chanting "No to war!" and "Glory to Ukraine!"—slogans that could now get them jailed at home
People hold anti-war placards before a rap concert for Ukraine by Russian rapper Oxxxymiron, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Istanbul, Turkey March 15, 2022. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya
ISTANBUL — Only a month ago, it would have been an innocuous scene in Moscow: Oxxxymiron, one of Russia’s most popular rappers, performing his latest tracks onstage with a banner behind him reading: “Russians against war.”
But after President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine, what had been typical for the rapper, known for his political sloganeering, quickly became impossible.
On Tuesday, instead of playing one of a string of six long-anticipated, sold-out arena shows in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Oxxxymiron gave an antiwar concert in a packed club in Istanbul, while streaming the performance on YouTube and other platforms in the hope that people in Russia would watch and donate. He promised that all proceeds, including ticket sales, would go to help the more than 3 million Ukrainian refugees who have fled Russian aggression.
A crowd of Russians, many of whom had left their own country over the past three weeks, fearing Putin’s tightening oppression, filled a club in Istanbul’s trendy Kadıköy district, chanting “No to war!” and “Glory to Ukraine!” — slogans that could now get them jailed at home.
“Millions in Russia are against this war,” said Oxxxymiron, also known as Miron Fyodorov.
©2019 New York Times News Service