A rapper touted his support for Russian soldiers in Ukraine. A Moscow court fined him for drug-themed lyrics anyway.

Meduza reports that a Moscow court has fined rapper David Nuriyev, known as Ptakha, eighty thousand rubles—roughly one thousand dollars—on a drug propaganda charge. The case centers on three songs posted to an online music group: 'Not Too Late,' 'I Can't,' and 'Monologue,' which was originally recorded by his former band Centr. At the hearing, Ptakha denied he had made the posts himself and said he actively helps soldiers and children in Russia's military operation zone. The fine comes under a Russian law enacted in March twenty twenty-six that mandates warning labels on music, film, and books that reference drugs.

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