Gaga Daily Founder Freed After Serving Two-Year Prison Sentence Over Belarus Protests

On September 22, 2026, Kirill, the founder and head administrator of Gaga Daily—the world’s largest international fan community dedicated to pop singer and LGBTQ+ icon Lady Gaga—announced his return to public life following a two-year imprisonment. As reported by British queer publication PinkNews, citing the blogger’s statement on social network X, he was arrested in early 2024 and sentenced to prison for participating in anti-government protests.

In his post, Kirill explained that between 2009 and 2024, he personally authored and published all content across Gaga Daily’s platforms, which currently count over 483,000 followers on X. During his detention and subsequent prison sentence, his friends Christian and Anthony stepped in to keep the accounts active. “Sorry about the lack of updates, I was literally in prison… I’m out now, I’m safe, and I can’t wait to get back to doing something I love so much,” the creator wrote. Due to his imprisonment, he missed the March 2025 release of Lady Gaga’s seventh solo studio album, Mayhem, and is currently listening to the record for the first time while sharing his initial impressions with followers.

While initial English-language media reports stated that the blogger served time in Russia, independent Russian-language outlets and human rights monitors quickly clarified the legal specifics. Independent publication Meduza and the Viasna Human Rights Centre identified the account owner as 32-year-old Minsk resident Kirill Nguyen. In May 2024, a Belarusian court convicted Nguyen under Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (organization of or active participation in group actions grossly violating public order) in connection with his participation in peaceful mass demonstrations in Minsk following the disputed 2020 presidential elections. Nguyen served 786 days in detention, including his term in Penal Colony No. 17 in Shklov, and was released in April 2026.

Launched in March 2009, Gaga Daily grew into a cornerstone international hub for news and discussion surrounding Lady Gaga, bringing together hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide, a notable proportion of whom belong to the LGBTQ+ community. Lady Gaga herself, widely celebrated for her advocacy for queer rights and her leadership of the Born This Way Foundation, has repeatedly praised the fan site: “When I go to see what my fans are saying, I go on Gaga Daily.”

Uránia has previously reported on the crackdown against protesters and civic activists in Belarus , where administrative penalties for so-called “LGBT propaganda” took effect in the summer of 2026, alongside ongoing judicial pressure against civil society across the region.