Grazhdanskaya Oborona

Grazhdanskaya Oborona was a Soviet rock band that came up in the 1980s underground. Their sound was raw and their lyrics often dealt with political themes, which got them in trouble with authorities. The frontman Yegor Letov was detained and interrogated by the KGB more than once. Their music circulated through unofficial channels and they played in underground venues, building a following among people who felt similarly about the system.

They put out a lot of material, including albums like Red Album from 1987 and Too Late from 1988. Songs like 'Angel ustal' and 'Bez menya' are part of that catalog. The core lineup included Letov on vocals and guitar, Konstantin Ryabinov on bass, and Arkadi Klimkin on drums, though other musicians came and went over time.

Their work wasn't widely available through official means during the Soviet period, but it found its audience anyway. The band's persistence in making and sharing music under those conditions is what people remember.