Gleb Viktorov, the founder of the rock band Three Days of Rain, said he had left Russia. The message appeared on the evening of July 12 in his Telegram channel after a concert in Yekaterinburg, where the musician made political and anti-war remarks. The post later disappeared, but screenshots were preserved in media reports, including by The Flow.
In the deleted message, Viktorov said he had been forced to leave because of what he said on stage, thanked listeners for their support, and urged them to take care of themselves and Russia. In a later post, he suggested the message had been removed without his consent, and then added that fans’ comments were also being deleted from the channel. It is unknown who removed the posts.
A few hours earlier, according to local media, Viktorov had disrupted the band’s concert in Yekaterinburg. Videos from the show indicate that after one of his remarks, his microphone was cut off. He then draped a Russian flag over his shoulders, approached the audience, and continued speaking without the microphone.
He said he did not consider what was happening normal, mentioned the deaths of people he knew, and objected to the fact that it was not being called a war but was referred to as a “special military operation.” He also urged people to go to the polls and vote for the Communist Party.
The crowd’s reaction was mixed: at first, part of the audience chanted “Russia!”, then some supported the musician while others laughed or shouted for him to stop. According to the pro-government Telegram channel Mash Ural, by the middle of the concert Viktorov was unsteady on stage and missing notes. The channel noted that three years earlier he had also disrupted a performance in the city; after that incident, the Izba label temporarily suspended the project.
Viktorov has previously spoken publicly about alcohol addiction. In March 2023, during a livestream, he complained that he was not being allowed into other countries and that Russian culture was being canceled, while also describing himself as “outside politics.” Two months later, he congratulated subscribers on Victory Day and announced concerts in annexed Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk; at that time, he was supported by Yekaterina Mizulina.