Spotify Pulls Music by Pro-War Russian Artists

Spotify has removed the music and profiles of several Russian artists who support the Ukraine invasion and have been sanctioned by the EU over their support of the war.

According to The Moscow Times, the decision includes the band Lyube and singers Grigory Leps, Oleg Gazmanov, Polina Gagarina, and Shaman— the first three artists have been under EU sanctions since the invasion launched in 2022, while Shaman and Gagarina were sanctioned just last week.

“Platform Rules clearly state that we take action when we identify content which explicitly violates our content policies or local laws, Upon review, these artists met the threshold for removal,” Spotify said in a statement.

The EU’s latest sanctions package said Shaman “repeatedly participated in Kremlin-organized concerts, including the Kremlin’s anniversary event for that war, and given concerts in the illegally occupied regions of Ukraine.”

Gagarina is purported to have generated “significant revenue” from state-sponsored events celebrating the annexation of Crimea and other Ukrainian regions under Russian control.

In 2018, Spotify implemented a controversial hate content policy which was reversed a few weeks later after artists like Kendrick Lamar reportedly expressed concern that it unfairly targeted people of color.

Spotify fully suspended service in Russia following the war on Ukraine in March 2022.