Nordic Ukraine Forum protests Russian heavy metal band concerts in Sweden

The Nordic Ukraine Forum civil society group has called on Swedish concert venues and promoters to cancel upcoming performances by the Russian heavy metal band Slaughter to Prevail.

The concerts are scheduled for Jan. 27 in Gothenburg and Jan. 30 in Stockholm, the organization said.

“Although the band has claimed to be “against war,” these assertions are contradicted by the band’s actions. The band has continued to publicly represent Russia by raising the Russian flag on international stages after the invasion of Ukraine,” the organization said.

Nordic Ukraine Forum stressed that the band’s scheduled performances cannot be viewed separately from the wider context of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. 

“Today, the Russian flag is not a neutral cultural symbol; it represents a state that commits systematic war crimes, occupies Ukrainian territory, and wages a brutal war of aggression.”

The organization also drew attention to the band’s frontman, Aleksandr Shikolai, known as Alex Terrible. He regularly travels to Russia, where he trains, participates in boxing matches, owns property, and runs businesses, thereby paying taxes to the Russian state.

“His use of Kremlin terminology regarding the so-called “special military operation,” combined with his 2025 visit to a Russian cadet school — where he praised military discipline and honored Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine — further demonstrates alignment with Russian military narratives and propaganda,” Nordic Ukraine Forum said.

The organization added that this strategic ambiguity allows the band to maintain popularity both in Russia and in the West, effectively making it an instrument of Russian cultural propaganda disguised as apolitical entertainment.

“Allowing Slaughter to Prevail to perform in Sweden contributes to the normalization of Russian aggression and undermines the ethical stance Sweden has taken in support of Ukraine,” the organization said.

Nordic Ukraine Forum urged all stakeholders to take immediate action to cancel the concerts and stressed the need for moral responsibility, warning against using culture and music as tools for propaganda, moral evasion, or normalization of war crimes.