Spotify has confirmed the removal of several pro-war Russian artists' songs and profiles from its platform, focusing specifically on artists sanctioned by the West following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The affected artists include:

• Lyube
• Grigory Leps
• Oleg Gazmanov
• Shaman
• Polina Gagarina

These removals follow Spotify's 2022 decision to suspend services in Russia and close its offices after the Ukraine invasion. The first three artists have been under EU sanctions since 2022, while Shaman and Polina Gagarina were added to the EU sanctions list this week.

A Spotify spokesperson confirmed to The Moscow Times that these artists "met the threshold for removal" under their platform rules, which address content violating their policies or local laws.

This decision stands in contrast to Spotify's handling of other controversial artists. The platform has maintained content from artists like R. Kelly, Kanye West, and Diddy despite various controversies. Even during previous content removal initiatives, such as the Joe Rogan episode removals, the platform has typically maintained a high threshold for content removal.

In 2017, Spotify addressed concerns about neo-Nazi and white supremacist content, removing multiple bands identified as hate groups. Despite stating they don't tolerate content that "favors hatred or incites violence against race, religion, sexuality, or the like," streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and YouTube continue to face challenges with moderating controversial content.

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