MOSCOW, April 29, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Three members of a well-known Russian metal band were arrested in the middle of a concert and charged with displaying "Nazi symbols", authorities said.

The members of Korrozia Metalla, aged 19, 42 and 57, have been accused of "propaganda or public display of Nazi accessories or symbols", said regional police in the western city of Nizhny Novgorod following the arrests late Saturday.

"Police officers with the support of the national guard arrested three members of a music band in one of Nizhny Novgorod's clubs," police added in a statement.

The offence is usually punishable by a fine or a short period of administrative detention.

Police said they seized T-shirts and books "displaying banned symbols".

Band manager Maria Rounova told state news agency TASS the motifs in question are "old Slavic symbols".

Frontman Sergey Troitsky said in a post on social media Sunday that the band's drummer was in a coma after being attacked by "three bullies".

In images shared on social media, security forces can be seen bursting into the concert hall and forcing spectators to lie down on the floor.

Since Russia sparked the conflict in Ukraine more than two years ago, Moscow has cracked down on dissent with free expression increasingly under pressure.