Apple Music partly restores sanctioned Russian artists

(MENAFN) Apple Music has reinstated the profiles and biographies of several prominent Russian artists who had been blocked following EU sanctions linked to the Ukraine conflict. However, the musicians’ music catalogs remain unavailable to users, according to Russian media reports on Sunday.


The EU imposed sanctions on many Russian musicians after the conflict escalated in February 2022, accusing them of performing patriotic songs and supporting Russia’s military. As a result, Apple Music and Spotify removed the profiles of these sanctioned artists.


Among those affected are Shaman (Yaroslav Dronov) and Polina Gagarina, who were blacklisted under the EU’s ninth sanctions package in June 2024. The EU justified the ban on Shaman by citing his repeated participation in Kremlin-organized concerts, including events for the Russian armed forces. Gagarina, who was runner-up in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest with “A Million Voices,” was also sanctioned for earning substantial revenue from state-sponsored concerts.

Shaman, known for his 2022 hit “Ya russkiy” (I am Russian), is set to represent Russia at the 2025 Intervision Song Contest—a Soviet-era event revived as an alternative to Eurovision—scheduled for September in Moscow. The contest will feature musicians from about two dozen countries, including China, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Serbia, and South Africa.

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