The police are set to investigate agronomists from the Arzamas district in the Nizhny Novgorod region, who inscribed the phrase "I am Russian" across a field using combine harvesters. The phrase is taken from Z-singer Shaman's song, bearing the same title. The news was reported by the My Nizhny Novgorod page on VKontacte on May 22nd.
The Arzamas agronomists who inscribed the phrase "I am Russian" on a field using combine harvesters will undergo scrutiny by the police. The investigation stems from the prohibition of drone usage in the Nizhny Novgorod region, implemented by Governor Gleb Nikitin in November 2022. Violating this ban can result in fines of up to 30 thousand rubles ($372).
On the evening of May 21, a video showcasing the inscription on a field emerged online. Local agronomists recorded the footage using a drone. Observers on social media noted that the patriotic message was made using a tractor with a foreign-made hitch.
Screenshot of the video
"I am Russian" is the title of a song by Yaroslav Dronov, a patriotic performer known as Shaman. He released this song in the summer of 2022, in connection with the war in Ukraine. Comedian Alexander Gudkov parodied the song, which led to complaints filed against him with the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor's Office. On National Unity Day, choirs from various ethnic republics of Russia performed this song.
In February 2023, a resident of the Tula region filed a complaint with the police, urging them to investigate the song "I am Russian" for possible extremism. The person claimed that the composition encourages interethnic discord within Russia. The police questioned Dronov about the matter. In response, the performer took to social media and stated that the song had been played on the First TV Channel, immediately following Vladimir Putin's New Year address to the nation. It also “had undergone all necessary screenings before being published on major Russian music platforms.”
