Russian prosecutors seek nearly two-year sentence for singer Monetochka

Russian prosecutors have asked a court to sentence singer Elizaveta Gyrdymova, known by her stage name Monetochka, to one year and 10 months in prison in absentia on charges of evading obligations imposed on individuals designated as “foreign agents,” according to the state news agency TASS.

The request was made during closing arguments in the case, a participant in the proceedings told the agency.

Gyrdymova, 28, has been formally charged under Part 2 of Article 330.1 of Russia’s Criminal Code, which concerns the failure to comply with legal requirements associated with foreign agent status. The indictment was ранее approved by the Basmanny Interdistrict Prosecutor’s Office in Moscow.

Investigators allege that Gyrdymova, who resides outside Russia, was twice within a year held administratively liable for violating regulations governing foreign agents. Despite this, she is accused of continuing to publish content on social media without including the mandatory disclosure of her "foreign agent" designation.

Monetochka left Russia following the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She has publicly opposed the war and has performed at several charity concerts in support of Ukrainian refugees.

In 2024, a group of academics from Norway’s OsloMet University nominated Monetochka and fellow Russian musician Noize MC, whose real name is Ivan Alekseev, for the Nobel Peace Prize.

By Tamilla Hasanova