The investigation has opened a criminal case against the singer Monetochka (Elizaveta Gyrdymova, included in the list of foreign agents by the Russian Ministry of Justice). What is she accused of, how did the singer react to this, what did she say about Ukraine and does she plan to return to Russia?

What is Monetochka accused of?

The singer is accused of evading the performance

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“Based on the results of the investigation by the Moscow City Prosecutor’s Office, a criminal case has been opened against Elizaveta Gyrdymova <…> under Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (evasion of duties stipulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation on foreign agents),” the statement says.

The artist was previously fined twice for the lack of a foreign agent label in her posts on social networks (Part 4 of Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation)

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Monetochka herself posted a photo of her fans with a poster reading “Hot girls love Monetochka” on her Instagram blog (activities prohibited in the Russian Federation). She said that this is the only banner she should put under her posts. This is how the singer responded to the news that a criminal case had been opened against her in Russia.

Before this, Monetochka shared a video in which she unpacks gifts from her fans in Vilnius. She showed bags with soft toys, mugs, decorations and sweets.

As noted by lawyer, head of the Law and Order Center in Moscow and the Moscow Region Alexander Khaminsky, for the first time the singer will get off with a fine for violating the law on foreign agents. According to him, the claims against Gyrdymova are that she does not put the foreign agent marking on principle.

“At the same time, Monetochka had previously been repeatedly brought to administrative responsibility for similar violations. This was the reason for the criminal prosecution,” the lawyer said.

He also specified that in Russia, as in many other countries, the responsibility for the content lies with the persons who published it, regardless of their place of residence. Khaminsky explained that if a clip or message from a foreign agent appears on the screens of gadgets located on the territory of the Russian Federation, they must be marked without fail.

“The maximum punishment under Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which is imputed to her, is two years’ imprisonment. According to Article 56 of the Code, imprisonment is not applied to persons who have committed minor crimes for the first time. Most likely, Monetochka will get off with a fine of 300 thousand rubles,” the expert said.