Russian law enforcement authorities have pressed criminal charges against the exiled rapper Noize MC for allegedly making statements that “justify” terrorism, the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office said Monday.
Noize MC, whose real name is Ivan Alexeyev, is accused of expressing support for a designated terrorist organization and making statements during his concerts that authorities say “justify” terrorist ideology.
The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office did not specify which organization or statements prompted them to press criminal charges against the rapper. The charge of publicly justifying terrorism carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
According to the independent news outlet Sotavision, during a 2024 concert in Spain, Noize MC wore a T-shirt with the logo of Ukraine’s Azov regiment, which Russia classifies as a terrorist organization.
The charges against the rapper come more than a year after a Russian court banned one of his songs as “extremist,” ruling that its lyrics amounted to propaganda calling for the overthrow of the Russian government.
Noize MC left Russia shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He now lives in Vilnius, Lithuania and regularly organizes charity concerts for Ukraine along with other exiled Russian musicians.
Russia’s Justice Ministry designated Noize MC a “foreign agent” in November 2022. Russian courts have since fined him for “foreign agent” violations and “discrediting” the Russian military.
