Analysts weigh in on the cancellation of Lolita's concert in Volgograd.

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Singer Lolita Milyavskaya's concert in Volgograd has been cancelled, for official reasons – due to an audience boycott. Analysts, however, believe that nationalist organizations and officials had a hand in the concert's cancellation, amid demands for media figures to demonstrate trustworthiness.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," at the end of December, a video appeal appeared online demanding that Lolita Milyavskaya's concert in Volgograd be banned. Participants cited her participation in a "naked party" as the reason for her impossibility of performing.

Reports began appearing in Volgograd and national media that Lolita's concert at the Expocentre in Volgograd, scheduled for February 20, had been canceled "due to an audience boycott." It was reported that ticket sales for her Volgograd concert were minimal, with more than half of the tickets unsold. Ticket prices ranged from 4,000 to 11,000 rubles. The singer's concerts were also canceled in Izhevsk, Kostroma, and Ulyanovsk.

Journalist Vyacheslav Lemkus, political scientist Mikhail Doliev*, and international law expert Roman Melnichenko commented on the cancellation of Lolita's concert in Volgograd to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on February 17.

Vyacheslav Lemkus has been tracking the "phenomenon of Lolita's concert cancellations" in Volgograd for the second year. He believes the main driving force in this process is nationalist groups.

But I think the decisive factor was the "activism" of nationalist groups—both this year and last.

"A year ago, Lolita's concert in Volgograd, scheduled for March 5, was canceled. At the time, the singer explained her refusal to perform in our city by saying she needed to obtain certain permits for the concert from the FSB, police, and regulatory agencies by February 23rd. She explained that this was impossible. "But the decisive factor, I think, was the 'activity' of nationalist groups—both this year and last," Lemkus told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on February 17th.

"They have a certain scheme, I would say a manual, for canceling concerts of singers and artists they and others don't like. For example, in addition to Lolita, Volgograd nationalists are planning a similar 'cancellation' campaign against singer Diana Arbenina." "There is a suspicion that they (the nationalists) are acting on someone's orders," stated Vyacheslav Lemkus.

Mikhail Doliev* views the issue of Lolita's "cancellation" in Volgograd from the perspective of political analysis. In his opinion, Lolita Milyavskaya's story is a "revealing case" for understanding the situation of artists with a "dual identity" in the context of the SVO. A native of Ukraine who worked in Russia for decades, after 2022 she found herself in a situation "where public neutrality became practically impossible."

"Her initial rhetoric—calls for peace, humanitarian corridors, an emphasis on her family's personal drama—seemed like an attempt to maintain distance from a hardline political position. However, the lack of direct condemnation of Moscow's actions and her participation in events in territories considered occupied by Kyiv led to the singer's inclusion on Ukraine's sanctions list. For the Ukrainian authorities, this sent a signal: cultural figures also bear political responsibility for symbolic actions," the political scientist told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The current situation in Volgograd surrounding attempts to ban her tour can be viewed not only as a local initiative by public activists but also as an indicator of a general trend.

On the other hand, according to Doliev*, in the Russian context, such a "half-tone" position is also perceived with caution. Any vacillation between "peacefulness" and loyalty to the state narrative "is interpreted as a lack of clarity." "The current situation in Volgograd surrounding attempts to ban her tour can be seen not only as a local initiative by public activists, but also as an indicator of a general trend: the cultural sphere is increasingly becoming a space for testing political reliability," said Mikhail.

In this sense, pressure on artists is "a way of demonstrating the limits of what is acceptable." "And if bans or scandals arise simultaneously in different regions, a political scientist has the right to assume that this isn't just a grassroots reaction, but a signal to elites and public figures: the time for uncertainty is over, and media figures are expected to take a clear position in times of conflict," noted Mikhail Doliev*.

Roman Melnichenko pointed out that Russia's social structure is based not on formalized law, but on expediency: "It's forbidden, but if necessary, then it's possible."

"The government operates within this paradigm, and it doesn't need to invoke the law when solving problems; it simply says, 'It must,' and civil servants begin to implement it." "This trend has become all-encompassing in recent decades," Melnichenko told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

By law, they cannot be cancelled, but if the word 'necessary' is heard, they will be cancelled.

As an example, the lawyer cited the death penalty in Russia, which "is legally inapplicable, but if the ruling elites say 'necessary,' the person immediately dies in prison." "The same applies to the cancellation of various events. By law, they cannot be cancelled, but if the word 'necessary' is heard, they will be cancelled. According to our legal system, this 'necessary' must be heard quietly. The phone simply rings, and the hall rental is denied." But when the people speak like this, it frightens the authorities, because in a turbulent society, uncontrolled expediency will lead to its destruction," Melnichenko said.

"So the authorities have nothing to do with this situation, and those who filed the appeal to cancel the concert imagined themselves to be the authorities, forgetting the old Roman proverb: 'What is permitted to Jupiter is not permitted to the bull,'" concluded Roman Melnichenko.