Russian ’Internet safety’ advocacy group denounces rapper Oxxxymiron for lyrics allegedly calling for St. Petersburg’s secession

Ekaterina Mizulina, head of the Russian Internet Safety League, said Wednesday that the organization will submit a request to the Russian Attorney General’s Office for Russian rapper Oxxxymiron’s song Oida (“Oh yeah”) to be declared extremist.

“The song contains calls for St. Petersburg to be separated from Russia. The Internet Safety League will submit a request to the Attorney General’s Office today,” Mizulina wrote on Telegram. She added that Oxxxymiron himself should be investigated “for his involvement and participation in organizing extremist activity related to breaking up Russia on an interethnic basis.”

Oxxxymiron’s song includes the lyric “Ingria will be free.” Ingria is a historical name for the region in northwestern Russia that includes St. Petersburg. The phrase “free Ingria” has been attributed to advocates of an independent St. Petersburg, but is more often used as a joke. 

On October 25, a Moscow court declared Oxxxymiron’s song The Last Bell to be extremist. In early October, the rapper himself was put on Russia’s “foreign agent” registry.