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Photo: Russian Pop Music (from their Facebook page) Russia says it will deploy musicians and singers to the front lines of its war in Ukraine to boost troops’ morale.

The defence ministry announced the formation of the “front-line creative brigade” this week, saying it would also include circus performers.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence highlighted the brigade’s creation in an intelligence update on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited frontline troops in Ukraine, Moscow said.

In a statement posted to Telegram, the defence ministry said Mr Shoigu “flew around the areas of deployment of troops and checked the advanced positions of Russian units in the zone of the special military operation”, referring to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched on 24 February.

The ministry added that he “spoke with troops on the front line” and at a “command post” – but the BBC cannot confirm when the visit took place or whether Mr Shoigu visited Ukraine itself.

Commenting on Mr Shoigu’s reported visit, Ukraine’s military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi told Ukrainian TV channels: “I don’t really believe that he is so brave” to travel to the battlefield.

This comes as UK defence officials said low morale continues to be a “significant vulnerability across much of the Russian force”.

The UK said the new creative brigade – which follows a recent campaign, urging the public to donate musical instruments to troops – is in keeping with the historic use of “military music and organised entertainment” to boost morale.

But they questioned whether the new brigade would actually distract troops, who have been primarily concerned about “very high casualty rates, poor leadership, pay problems, lack of equipment and ammunition, and lack of clarity about the war’s objectives”.
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Read the rest of the story here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64016599

[Thanks to Alex Teitz for contributing this article! http://www.femmusic.com]

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(As of today, 12/22/22, Russia has put thru an edict telling all artists to do only “Russian-themed art” – no western songs, no hints at western artwork, no western influences in dance or in costuming.)

The Kremlin Cracks Down on Moscow’s Artists: ‘The Life We Had Before the War Is Over’

A prominent Russian director on why he was forced to flee the country after criticizing Putin and the war in Ukraine

By Alexander Molochnikov, Rolling Stone

Less than a year ago, I was a successful director and screenwriter in Moscow. Now, I spend my sleepless nights in New York City, trying to find airline tickets for my friends to escape Russia before they’re sent to the front lines or arrested.

I was about to begin making a movie when the Kremlin started bombing Ukrainian cities. Dozens of actors and a film crew were waiting for me to begin shooting. Many of my friends had already fled the country that week. They called me every five minutes, asking why I was still in Russia. As the violence in Ukraine escalated, the state cracked down on Russian artists and anyone who had spoken against the war.

News of the grinding conflict grew worse by the day. Then one afternoon on the film set, I saw reports that a special commission called GRAD had emerged from the Russian Duma, named after the deadly Russian multiple-rocket launch system. GRAD’s mission was to “counter Western influence in the sphere of culture.” Among its first targets: the host of a late-night TV show, Ivan Urgant, and me. Public officials demanded the Bolshoi Theatre, where I had directed ballets and operas, to fire me.
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Read the full awful story here:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/putin-kremlin-freedom-russia-ukraine-1234629671/

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