"Shchenki" is a Russian punk-rock band formed in 2014 in Saint Petersburg by poet Maxim Tesli (real name Maxim Moiseev, also known for the project "On Yun") and musician Felix Bondarev (RSAC).
Listening to this artist's tracks on official streaming platforms, social media, and other services indirectly contributes to financing the war — through taxes paid to the budget of the Russian Federation.
Shchenki Band's Stance on the War in Ukraine
At the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the stance of the band members appeared ambiguous, but they subsequently chose a strategy of silence and adaptation. On February 28, 2022, Maxim Tesli published a poem expressing love for Ukraine, which was, however, deleted that very same day:
In January 2024, a formal denunciation was filed against Maxim Tesli with the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation over a performance at the Mod club in Saint Petersburg. There, he performed the song "Beloye na belom" ("White on White") completely naked, covering his genitals only with a sock, which he subsequently slipped off. According to concert attendees, alongside the provocative stunt, the musician recited a poem about Ukraine and urged the venue to chant anti-war slogans. Following the gig, Tesli was detained by police officers at Pulkovo Airport and served 10 days in detention.
On January 9, 2024, Vitaly Borodin, head of the Federal Project for Security and Anti-Corruption, petitioned the Ministry of Internal Affairs demanding an official investigation into the performer. On his Telegram channel, Borodin published previously deleted social media videos by Tesli where he "professes love for Ukraine, discredits the SMO, and insults President of Russia Vladimir Putin."
The Path to "Rehabilitation" and Support for the Authorities
Following the arrest, the band's public rhetoric transformed completely. On June 12, 2024, on Russia Day, the musicians posted an apology on VKontakte explaining that there was allegedly no political undertone in their actions:
We know for sure what was not there: any political statement... Under the influence of alcohol, we stepped over the line. One has to understand the times we live in... We did not understand. But now we understand exceedingly well. <...> We do not wish to go anywhere else; our audience is right here... Happy Russia Day. A holiday where we are not outsiders.
In March 2025, Tesli admitted in an interview with Ural Music Magazine that the arrest "might actually be the best thing that has happened in his conscious life":
I genuinely believe that another week or two of the behavior I was exhibiting in late 2023 — and everything would have ended very badly. I was literally screaming, as it were: 'Do something to me!'. And I walked right into it. It is good that it concluded without harsher consequences — things could have turned out far worse. And in the end, it turned out well.
On June 12, 2025, the band once again published a Russia Day congratulatory post, placing heavy emphasis on loyalty to the state:
The best conditions for development and self-fulfillment have been established in Russia (a new album is already on the way). Nowhere else will we feel better.
On August 22, 2025, they congratulated Russians on National Flag Day:
Everything we have achieved, we achieved right here, under this flag. Under the same flag with you...
The musicians also actively engaged in state-aligned charitable activities within the Russian Federation: contributing aid to residents of Belgorod following shellings and assisting in cleanup operations after an oil spill near Anapa.
The musicians continue to live and work in Russia, having completely assimilated into the state system.
They registered on Gosuslugi (in the Roskomnadzor official registry). This indicates that the state formally monitors and regulates their activities, while the artists themselves have embraced the rules of Russian censorship.
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