Summary The critics include several veterans of the perestroika-era rock scene as well as younger stars.
MOSCOW (AFP) - While patriotic fervour grips Russia over its takeover of Crimea and President Vladimir Putin s approval ratings soar, some of the top names in Russian rock have emerged as among very few high-profile voices of dissent inside the country.
Those who have criticised the intervention in Crimea include several grizzled veterans of the perestroika-era rock scene as well as younger stars.
Among the most outspoken critics is Andrei Makarevich, a curly-haired singer who led the hugely popular Soviet-era band Mashina Vremeni (Time Machine), known for melodic songs about personal freedom.
"Everything that is happening in our country today -- the rabid propaganda, the frenzy of jingoism, even the Olympics -- are very reminiscent of Germany in the late 1930s," he wrote in a series of Facebook posts.
"When the mass psychosis ends (and it will), we will all remember that Ukraine is our neighbour and closest relative," he added.
The 60-year-old singer -- who until now was not seen as an anti-Kremlin figure and even sat next to Putin at a Paul McCartney concert in 2003 -- has faced a backlash.
When Makarevich attended a peace march down a Moscow boulevard in late March, wearing ribbons in Ukrainian colours, state television zoomed in on his face with a disapproving comment.
More than 21,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Makarevich to be stripped of his state decorations including the title of "People s Artist" for marching "with murderers from the Maidan" protest hub in Kiev.
In response, writer Lyudmila Ulitskaya and Russia s top pop diva Alla Pugachyova were among those to sign an open letter comparing his "hounding" to the treatment of Soviet dissidents such as the physicist Andrei Sakharov and writer Boris Pasternak.
- From Crimea to the Yenisei! -
The Kremlin has a cohort of stars ready to turn out in support, however.
For Red Square celebrations after Crimea s annexation, rock band Lyube -- said to be a favourite of Putin s -- swiftly updated a patriotic hit to sing that Russia stretches "From Crimea to the Yenisei," referring to a river in Siberia.
A host of popular stars signed a Soviet-style public letter organised by the culture ministry in support of Putin s position on Ukraine.
Among them were squeaky-clean pop singer Valeriya and patriotic singer Oleg Gazmanov, both listed in Forbes Russia s top 50 entertainment figures and regularly shown on state television.
Rock band Alisa, which has played at Kremlin concerts, this week cancelled a tour of Ukraine planned for May calling it in a state of "coup d etat and anarchy."
- Stop lying to your people -
Yet Makarevich is not alone in breaking ranks on Ukraine.
Cult rock singer Boris Grebenshchikov, reacted furiously when state television used one of his hits as the soundtrack to footage of Kiev protests.
They combined footage of clashes in Kiev with his lyrics: "This land was ours until we got bogged down in the fight. It will die if it belongs to no one. It s time for us to return this land."
To retaliate, Grebenshchikov, the lead singer of Aquarium, posted a simple anti-war song on YouTube called "Love in a time of war."
"Stop setting one people against others, stop lying to your people for the sake of the semblance of profit today. Tomorrow it will lead to immeasurably worse losses," he wrote on Facebook.
One of Russia s most mysterious stars, rock singer Zemfira, who fiercely guards her privacy, also chose to put out a pro-Ukrainian message.
On March 2 the androgynous singer posted on her official site a video of her singing a song by ultra-political Ukrainian band Okean Elzy which staunchly backed the uprising against president Viktor Yanukovych.
"I want to support, say hi and to thank and join all Ukrainian musicians," she wrote on VKontakte social networking site.
Okean Elzy has had its concerts in Russia cancelled following the crisis. Senator John McCain photographed its electrifying concert on Kiev s Independence Square in December.
Other more predictable figures to speak out include shaggy-haired Yury Shevchuk, the leader of rock band DDT who is a regular at protests against Putin.
"Each of us must simply do everything he can to avoid a fratricidal war," he wrote on his blog.
He titled the entry "Don t shoot!" -- a hugely influential song DDT performed in the early 80s inspired by the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
