Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).
The Stavropol authorities explained the spending of 15 million rubles on Shaman’s concert, which will take place on September 14. The local Ministry of Culture said that they chose the singer because he has a “patriotic repertoire” and “spiritual-uplifting songs.”
“The choice of the artist Shaman for the celebration of Stavropol and Krai Day is connected with the patriotism of his repertoire, the spiritually uplifting songs he performs, which have a relevant sound at the present time,” the department responded.
Local residents asked to cancel the concert and use the money to lay asphalt. Earlier, Shaman was paid 15 million rubles for a small concert in Orenburg. Citizens expressed outrage, especially since the region has still not recovered from the spring flood.