Russian rapper Ligalize responded to being designated a “foreign agent” by Russia’s Justice Ministry with the release of a new song on Monday.
The track, titled “Vsemirnye” — a play on the Russian words for “worldwide” and “everyone is peaceful” — is the first release from an upcoming album by the Dutch-Lithuanian label TMT Music.
The song features other prominent Russian artists, including the rap group Kasta and the rock band Nogu Svelo.
“Since I was added to the list of foreign agents, we decided to speed things up and give a worthy New Year’s gift to everyone — friends and foes alike,” Ligalize wrote Monday.
The Justice Ministry added Ligalize, whose real name is Andrei Menshikov, to its “foreign agents” register on Friday. He left Russia in the summer of 2023 after releasing the anti-war song “Mir! Vashemu! Domu!” and currently resides in Lithuania.
Ligalize said he considers the “foreign agent” label an “honor,” describing it as a designation for “individuals who embody the intelligence, integrity and conscience of a better Russia. They speak the truth about what’s happening and stand for universal human values.”
TMT Music was launched by The Moscow Times’ founder Derk Sauer earlier this year to support Russian and Belarusian artists persecuted in their home countries over their political views.
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