Russia Blocks Access to Song Written in Memory of Alexei Navalny

The Russian Musician Vasya Oblomov, real name Vasily Goncharov, released the song “Now Far from Here” on Feb. 27, which he dedicated to “the one who gave people hope.” Although Alexei Navalny is not mentioned, there was no doubt to whom it was dedicated and why.

The lyrics of the song were written by the poet Leonid Kaganov. Both artists are long-time critics of the regime of President Vladimir Putin, in general, and his war in Ukraine, in particular.

Oblomov wrote on his X-Twitter account on Saturday: “Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the single ‘Now Far from Here’ has become unavailable in Russia. We are working to fix this. Hopefully soon.”

On Sunday, the Sota Project wrote on Telegram that the song had disappeared from YouTube search results in Russia, as well as from Yandex. Music and the social media site VKontakte for users in all countries.

It can still be accessed in most Western European countries but many of the uploaded videos have no sound. The service's notice states that it was disabled at the request of the musician or his representative, although the veracity of this statement has not been confirmed by the musician.

The opening lines of the song say:

“Now there is an empty grave far from here.

We were waiting for a miracle to happen, and this is what it was.

It spoke to us, gave us faith for free

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actions and words, irony and example for us

for the fulfillment of the word of the Bible.”

The song can be accessed here:

                 Vasya Oblomov          Leonid Kaganov

Oblomov/Goncharov, 39, is a native of Rostov-on-Don and a trained lawyer. He founded the musical project “Cheboza” in 1999, founded and leads the band “Goncharov,” which was one of the first Russian bands to build its fan base through the internet rather than radio or TV. Popularity grew with live performances in Russia until 2022, when he and the band were banned after criticism of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Kaganov was originally trained in computer-aided design at the Moscow State Mining University before becoming a writer in 1995. He is the author of a number of books, film and television scripts, poetry and songs and is sometimes a TV presenter. He has worked with Oblomov on several projects and like his compatriot came out with strong condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in his blog.