Russia slams European politicians' remarks about viral song as ‘Russophobia’
Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says statements on Russian song Sigma Boy are ‘madness’
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
ISTANBUL
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday denounced European politicians’ statements about the viral Russian song Sigma Boy, calling it “madness” and “clinical Russophobia.”
Maria Zakharova, the ministry's spokeswoman, responded to remarks made by German politician Nela Rihl, a member of the European Parliament from the Volt Europa party, who criticized the song during a session in December 2024.
“This is already clinical Russophobia. There is just Russophobia, and then there are its stages. This is clinical,” Zakharova said during a briefing in Moscow.
She compared the criticism to prohibiting brown bears or certain parts of the sun that shine on Russia, calling it "madness."
The song, performed by 11-year-old Svetlana Chertishcheva and 12-year-old Maria Yankovskaya as Betsy, was released in October 2024.
It gained massive popularity online, amassing over 64 million YouTube views in four months. In January, it reached No. 7 on the Billboard chart.
The mother of one of the singers and the song’s media producer said there were no hidden messages in the track and that it was not intended to be political.
Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
