Police in St. Petersburg apprehended 18-year-old singer Diana Loginova and guitarist Alexander Orlov for the third time within a month, according to reports from various news outlets on Monday. This latest detention came right after the two musicians completed their recent jail terms.
The series of arrests began in mid-October when their band, Stoptime, gained significant attention for playing the songs of anti-war artists during street performances in St. Petersburg.
Orlov and Loginova had just finished consecutive 13-day administrative detentions for arranging an unsanctioned gathering when they were taken into custody again on Sunday night and Monday morning, as stated by the local news source Bumaga.
The couple, who announced their engagement amid legal proceedings at the end of last month, were reportedly taken to the same police station following their arrests.
Vladislav Leontyev, the drummer for Stoptime, was released around midnight after completing his second administrative sentence.
According to St. Petersburg news site Fontanka, citing unnamed sources, Loginova and Orlov are facing new allegations of organizing an unauthorized gathering.
Bumaga also reported that Loginova has received a third administrative charge for “discrediting” the Russian military. This latest accusation appears to be linked to her performance of a prohibited song in central St. Petersburg last month, which investigators claimed negatively depicted Russian President Vladimir Putin and state authorities.
Last month, a court fined Loginova 30,000 rubles (approximately $375) for discrediting the military due to her performance of an anti-war song by another exiled musician. A second charge on the same grounds was returned to the police by a judge, who cited insufficient details.
Loginova has claimed that she has done nothing wrong.