Freemuse is deeply shocked by the tragic death of Russian musician and songwriter Vadim Stroykin, who fell from the window of his tenth-floor apartment in St. Petersburg during a police search on 5 February. Authorities claimed to be investigating Vadim Stroykin over alleged donations to Ukraine—charges that could have carried a 20-year prison sentence—while Kremlin-aligned media claim he died by suicide during the police raid.
Stroykin was an artist. He used his voice. He opposed the war. He called for justice. He was born in Snezhinsk, a city in the Urals. On 22 January, he marked his 59th birthday with a simple yet poignant message on Facebook: “Fifty-nine… I’m trying…” It was a quiet reflection from an artist who had dedicated his life to music. But just days later, the well-wishes on his page turned into messages of shock and grief.
More than just a musician, Stroykin was a bard, part of a tradition tied to the Soviet cultural thaw of the 1960s, where music became a powerful form of artistic and political expression. He once hosted a bardic music show on Ekho Moskvy’s Yekaterinburg affiliate—before the station was shut down in 2022 for its reporting on the Ukraine conflict. In his final decade, he devoted himself to teaching guitar. More than a hundred students graduated from Vadim Stroykin’s Guitar School, St. Petersburg.
Image credit: Vadim Stroykin’s website and Facebook
His death is not an isolated tragedy. It is part of a disturbing and ongoing pattern in which critics of the Russian regime—journalists, activists, politicians, and artists—have met untimely and suspicious ends. Take Vladimir Shklyarov, a 39-year-old principal dancer with Russia’s prestigious Mariinsky Theatre and one of the world’s top male ballet stars. In November 2024, he reportedly fell from a balcony to his death. Shklyarov, like Vadim Stroykin, was an outspoken critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and openly opposed the war.
The tragic and unexplained deaths of these artists—and other critics of Vladimir Putin’s regime— are impossible to ignore. The international community must recognise Stroykin as yet another victim of an oppressive system that silences dissent through fear and force.
Vadim Stroykin was trying—trying to live, trying to create, trying to speak. His tragic death reminds us once again that no state should have the power to silence freedom of expression and creativity. In response, Freemuse demands a full, independent investigation into the circumstances of Stroykin’s death to ensure accountability and justice.
To understand Stroykin’s legacy, visit his official website to learn more about his life and work, and listen to his music here.
