Magazine pulls cover story with Eurovision star Manizha after singer’s anti-war statements land her on ‘banned artists list’
Krasnodar magazine Sobaka.ru has pulled its cover story and interview with Manizha, the singer and former Eurovision contestant, over her anti-war statements. Manizha has been quite open in her opposition to the war in Ukraine, and was included on the unofficial "list of banned artists." The retraction was reported by 93.ru and Telegram channel Redaktsia.
Sobaka.ru interviewed Manizha ahead of her appearance as the headliner of the "Aleksandrovskaya Fortress" festival of Cossack culture, which will be held in Ust-Labinsk in September. An interview with the singer, as well as her photos, were supposed to appear in the August issue of the magazine (or September, according to Redaktsia).
The magazine was sent to the printer a few days ago, but the cover and interview with Manizha have been taken out of print due to Manizha's inclusion on the "list of banned artists," reports 93.ru.
Businessman Oleg Deripaska's foundation "Volnoe Delo," which organizes the festival, confirmed Manizha's exclusion from the magazine to "Redaktsia" However, they said that she is still planning to perform at the festival. The magazine publisher refused to comment on the situation.
All summer long, concerts of musicians who have spoken out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine have been canceled or disrupted. For example, Moscow's Glavklub cancelled Manizha's July 8, 2022 concert. The club cited "pressure from state authorities" as the reason for the decision.
In July, Fontanka published a "list of banned artists," which included the bands DDT, rappers Noize MC and Oxxxymiron, the singer Zemfira, and other musicians who are against the war. It is not known who compiled the list. According to Fontanka, it has been distributed among music promoters.
