GROT on the war

GROT Band's Stance on the War in Ukraine

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the members of the group "Grot" spoke out against the so-called special military operation, publishing an anti-war post on Instagram on February 24, 2022:

A day of mourning, shame, and despair. Russian bombs are falling on Ukrainian cities. Can we, ordinary citizens, stop this? Hardly. But we are obligated to try. Everyone who is against the war — speak up about it. Speak everywhere and always. On all accounts across all your social media platforms. In the central squares of your cities. Tell your neighbors, friends, and relatives that you are against the war. Let us do what we can with what we have wherever we are right now. #notowar

The following day, the group published a post in the spirit of "it's not all so clear-cut" and "we are brotherly peoples", stating that they had held this stance since 2014:

Choosing a side in this conflict has never been considered by us. Choosing a side means recognizing war as an adequate method for solving problems and resolving disputes. And that, in our opinion, is unacceptable. This is our shared defeat. We have always perceived this war as a civil one; we are all simply tied together too closely. Mentally, culturally, historically, genetically. It is extremely difficult for us to find differences between, for example, Rostov-on-Don and Dnipropetrovsk in terms of how one feels in these cities, how audiences welcome us at concerts, the presence of friends and their hospitality, the coziness of public squares and parks.

On June 9, 2022, the musicians complained about the deletion of their anti-war post on VK and the lack of freedom of speech:

Our post from 24.02.22 was deleted today by the social network «VKontakte» upon demand of the prosecutor's office. Regarding its deletion, we received the following notification. Words, statements, arguments, and conclusions that do not align with the official version will now simply vanish from the information space. Throughout our entire conscious lives we have worked with words, but how to do that in the absence of freedom of speech is a huge question. We will keep trying as long as there is an opportunity.

On February 24, 2023, on the anniversary of the war, the musicians once again reaffirmed their anti-war position while simultaneously professing their love for their homeland:

A year has passed since the start of a new round of this horror, a bad dream that became reality. Unfortunately, another anniversary of dwelling in this nightmare may not be the last. There is a feeling that many of our fellow citizens welcome this nightmare and support it with all their strength. Perhaps this impression arises because those who disagree with what is happening simply remain silent. That is why, since 2014, in all formats accessible to us, we have expressed our protest against this senseless and horrifying war... People watch television, believe it, and demand blood. In history, this has happened far more than once and has always ended equally horribly...
We love our country, love its people, its culture, its stunning nature. This is our Russian World. A world that extends a hand to all other worlds. A world that does not need war. A world that has outgrown war as a phenomenon, that knows how to resolve any conflicts without it. As long as there is an opportunity, we will labor for the good of this world, even if for now it exists only in our dreams.

In March 2023, the group announced the postponement of their March concerts to the autumn due to pressure exerted on concert organizers. They stated that "someone" went to great lengths to disrupt their tour:

...Nobody contacts us directly, nor does anyone contact the organizers directly. There are no written notices or decrees; people simply call the venues directly and demand that they cancel the band's events, 'otherwise there will be trouble.'

On April 19, 2024, "GROT" recorded a collaborative track with Yuri Shevchuk titled "After the Last War", describing in the song the emotions that will grip people once the military conflict comes to an end.

Despite the ban on staging concerts in Russia, the group "GROT" has no intention of leaving their homeland.