[68579] The online storm surrounding the singer SHAMAN: documented crossing himself before portraits of himself in Tver

The singer SHAMAN at the center of a storm after being documented crossing himself in front of portraits of himself

A wave of criticism and questions flooded social media in Russia following the publication of a video from Varlamov News and Meduza, showing the singer Yaroslav Dronov, known by his stage name SHAMAN, crossing himself three times in front of a series of portraits of himself. The incident occurred on May 20 in the lobby of the "Proletarka" Palace of Culture in Tver, as part of an exhibition of paintings by fan Zhanna Sivtsova.

The video sparked mixed reactions. Channels critical of the government, such as NEXTA Live and Dozhd, labeled the act as "cringe" and asked if it was a sign of "pride" or excessive self-admiration. On the other hand, channels identified with support for the regime, such as Podium, were quick to defend the singer. Priest Pavel Ostrovsky claimed in an interview with Podium that "the man was praying - he did the right thing," and explained that the location or the object in front of which a person crosses themselves does not change the intention of the prayer.

The artist Zhanna Sivtsova, in a conversation with Podium, offered a different interpretation of the event: according to her, SHAMAN "always crosses himself before going on stage" as part of his regular custom, and it is possible that this happened randomly while he was looking at the paintings on his way to the performance.

The singer himself responded in an interview with RIA Novosti, as reported in VIP-Radar, and stated: "The sign of the cross is my faith, and I will answer for my faith and my life only before God, and not before those who are looking for whom to crucify." This is another affair that is causing echoes around the singer's image, after earlier this year he caused controversy when he was documented licking ice on Lake Baikal.