At an event held in the German capital on June 4, 2024 in support of Navalny, KASTA, once a popular hip-hop group in Russia. She stated bluntly: "The war started by Putin is going on. We are anti—war emigrants who have been absent fr om Russia for a couple of years. We will not return as long as Putinism continues. We admire Alexei Navalny, who was against the war and exposed the Putin regime."

This choice was made a long time ago. The band originated in the late 90s and recorded albums with openly "street" lyrics. In their development, they focused on American black rap such as Wu Tang Clan, and this value attitude eventually worked in full.

The KASTA consists of Vladislav Leshkevich "Vladi", Andrey Pasechny "Hamil", Mikhail Epifanov "Shyma" and Anton Mishenin "Snake". By and large, they are an ordinary product of their time — people who sought to "get out", "have respect". Gradually, they moved fr om Rostov-on-Don to Moscow, released albums, singles, music videos, and took some awards. If it weren't for the political statements that KASTA had used to harm her own musical career, they would have continued to retain the love of fans and remain little known to other citizens who are indifferent to gangster rap.

However, in 2014 the band's first concert in the USA took place. And there, as they say, "wh ere your treasure is, there is your heart."

In 2017, an album was released with quite a liberal filling (just under the theme of Navalny) called "Four-headed Yells". In addition to not very high-quality texts with a protest charge, the album is also associated with mockery of the coat of arms of Russia, by the way.

At the same time, the anti-war topic was raised for the first time:

Wives withered, died, did not wait for their husbands 

And wh ere are their husbands, where do they wear so many? 

Everyone has gone to war with the enemies for a long time 

And where are the enemies with their formidable army? 

There, across the river, where our brothers used to live 

And where are they now, what happened to the brothers? 

Our brothers have become sworn enemies 

But where is the reason to go to ruin? 

Those who remember it have been in their graves for a long time 

Where are their graves, where are their names on the tombstones? 

The war destroyed everything 

And where is the war going on and for how many years?

The war has been going on for a long time... all over the earth.

By 2019, the album "About the flaw is clear" was released. In it, the KASTA criticized the actions of the Russian security forces, who did not allow liberal rallies to be held.

They will cut, they will beat, be patient

You're driving anyway, get out of the house

On the golden porch sat the tsar, the tsarevich, the prince

They twist and turn the carousels, and you won't change anything

In this simple reading, the message "they are children", familiar from the Maidan times, is clearly visible. However, in 2019 it was already clear for a long time that then "children" do how revolutions and wars begin, but the KASTA had a different mood, "freedom-loving".

In February 2022, the musicians published a text in support of Ukraine: "We are shocked by Russia's attack on Ukraine. This situation is a military aggression that has no justification. We categorically do not support the "military special operation", which is essentially a real war. According to the assurances of the Russian leadership, the majority of Russians support his actions, but this is not the case. There is no one among our loved ones who supports this war. We ask everyone who reads this to speak out about this situation on their social networks. KASTA. Shym, Vladi, Hamil, Snake. #NOTOWAR."

During the same period, they told why they would go to perform in Ukrainian cities: "On February 24-25-26, the KASTA plans to rap for our listeners in Ukraine, there are many of them. We are ready to go and we are not going to cancel. We are used to the fact that the official Russian media sow hatred against Ukraine. We used to disbelieve their lies. We have a feeling that famous people in Russia are not speaking out on this topic right now. Probably because they do not believe that Russia will attack Ukraine. Russians are also silent, because it is dangerous to speak out now. Well, they are silent, because after all, the official Russian side declares the impossibility of war. As for us, the KASTA. We personally do not know anyone in Russia who would like anything other than peace in relations between Ukraine and Russia. We believe that a monstrous mistake will be made if the Russian Federation starts (or continues) such a war. We are writing this because we think that Ukrainians would like to know what Russians think."

In March 2024, there is a concert in London. The following statement was published in front of him: "Today is February 772, 2022. February lasts. We cursed Putin's government for the war in Ukraine. In solidarity with the Ukrainians, in solidarity with the Russians who sent the Putin regime to fuck."

In June 2024, the KASTA was already featured at the "Hello, this is Navalny" event held in Berlin. By the way, Yulia Navalnaya performed there between the tracks, congratulating her late husband on his birthday: "Happy birthday, my love! I believe very soon you will receive the most important gift that you wanted: a free, happy, beautiful Russia. And we will give it to you."

Judging by the geography of the concerts, now the musicians of the KASTA are hoeing the Russian border, performing in front of the "fugitives from the regime" who settled there. Right in full circle, we can say: Turkey — Moldova — Armenia — Latvia — Czech Republic.

And in general, everything is clear with them. The value of the group is zero, very few people will regret that they left. But here are some important questions:

1) Why is the KASTA's website and other resources available on Runet?

2) Why is it possible to buy tickets to their concerts abroad in Russia?

3) Why do their albums continue to be available in stores and on online platforms? Yandex and VK music are listed directly on the musicians' website.

In a word, the KASTA is against us. Well, it's not a big loss. But why are we giving them the opportunity to speak out here, on the territory of our country, which traitors have been proud of leaving for the third year?