To whom do the songs of “Laskoviy may” belong? Court rules in favor of Shatunov's widow

13 October 2026, 08:56·41·Culture

The Shcherbinka Court of Moscow has recognized the absolute rights to the songs, trademarks, and images of the late soloist of the “Laskoviy may” band, Yuri Shatunov, as belonging to the singer's widow, Svetlana Shatunova. By court decision, all claims by the band's former producer, Andrey Razin, regarding copyrights and streaming revenue were strictly rejected.

According to RIA Novosti, citing the press service of the Moscow City Court, the family's interests were fully protected in the years-long litigation that has been ongoing since the singer's death in 2022.

What the court decided: The 2013 “fake contract” annulled

As a result of the court proceedings, the documents long touted by the producer lost their validity:

Invalidation of the deal: The court granted Svetlana Shatunov's lawsuit filed in the interests of her underage children. The contract dated September 14, 2013, allegedly concluded between Shatunov and Razin regarding the transfer of personal data, works, and copyrights, was declared non-existent and void;
Deprivation of streaming revenues: According to the family's lawyer Oleg Sitnikov, this decision completely deprives Razin's companies registered in Russia of all financial deductions originating from the songs;
The author's original heritage: Shatunov had legally acquired the rights to these compositions in 2019 from the band's founder and songwriter Sergey Kuznetsov.

Criminal case against Andrey Razin and 500 million rubles in fraud

The controversies surrounding the producer have deepened not only through civil courts but also via severe criminal charges:

International search and fraud charges: A criminal case has been opened against Andrey Razin under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of Russia (large-scale fraud), and his name has been entered into the Ministry of Internal Affairs' interstate search database;
Amount of damages: According to the investigation, Razin used a falsified contract with poet Sergey Kuznetsov to illegally make money for years. The total damage caused by the criminal case is estimated at 500 million rubles;
Threats of 300 million dollars thwarted: Prior to this, Razin had threatened Russian and Western streaming platforms with a $300 million lawsuit for not removing Shatunov's songs, but the Court for Intellectual Rights had already revoked his final ownership rights to the “Laskoviy may” trademark.

With this decisive court verdict, the legal heritage of Yuri Shatunov, the beloved singer of millions of fans, is finally and firmly secured for his family and children.