On Sunday, Dmitry Svirgunov, better known as Dima Nova, the founder of the electronic group Cream Soda, passed away at the age of 34 due to drowning.
Cream Soda’s song “Aqua Disco” became an anthem during anti-war protests in Russia, as it criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged $1.3 billion mansion.
The song was frequently sung at protests leading up to and during Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, and these protests became known as “Aqua Disco Parties.”
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According to Russian news website People Talk, Nova fell through ice while crossing Russia’s Volga river in the Yaroslavl region, accompanied by his brother Roma and two friends.
Nova’s death was announced by Cream Soda on Monday, March 20th 2023, in an Instagram post.
“We had a tragedy last night. Our Dima Nova, in the company of friends, was walking along the Volga and fell under the ice. The Ministry of Emergency Situations are still looking for his brother Roma and friend, Gosha Kiselev. Aristarchus, our friend who also fell under the ice, was caught, but could not be saved. As soon as we have information from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, we will inform you,” the group wrote in the caption.
On Tuesday, the group posted photos of Nova and his friend Kiselev, writing “an official identification took place today at 9:00. Dima and Goshi are no more.”
Thank you for the additional context. Here’s a possible rewrite of the sentence:
On Tuesday, the group Cream Soda shared photos of Dmitry Svirgunov, also known as Dima Nova, and his friend Goshi Kiselev, with the statement that “an official identification took place today at 9:00. Dima and Goshi are no more.”
The group’s song “Volga” contained lyrics such as “In captivity of spring lips I will drown/I’m going down with you,” and had been released in 2017.
Cream Soda had gained notoriety in the anti-war movement, with their music being used by comedian Alexander Gudkov to mock Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had been accused of using ill-gotten gains to build a lavish mansion on Russia’s southern Black Sea coast.
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