Back in the summer of ’79, Andrei Panov — or Svin’ as he was quickly dubbed — got together with a bunch of young folks who were sick and tired of the Soviet monotony and uninspired rock. Panov had some decent instruments and gear, bought with money from his father, who had emigrated to the West. His apartment became an informal hub for Leningrad’s emerging punk scene. Early homemade recordings, including the now-lost “Fools and Tours,” even featured a young Mike Naumenko, who would later form Zoopark.

The name “Avtomaticheskie Udovletvoriteli” (“Automatic Satisfiers”) was a loose Russian translation of the band name Sex Pistols.

AU was constantly banned by the official authorities, but they still performed regularly at various semi-underground festivals and private “apartment gigs” across the country. Because of these bans, the musicians often had to change the band’s name.

Back in 1980, journalist Artemy Troitsky invited the group to Moscow. Their improvised “punk invasion” included two notorious underground shows and the recording of their first rough album, “To Moscow!” — featuring Viktor Tsoi on bass. The shows made a big splash in the city’s artistic scene and helped AU gain a reputation as something of a cult favorite.

By the mid-80s, the KGB was surveilling them so heavily that the band had to go underground. A bunch of musicians came and went, including future members of Kino, Sekret, and other major bands. AU came back in 1986, when things were opening up after perestroika. They made a big comeback with some high-energy shows at the Leningrad Rock Club and nationwide tours. They often got into trouble, but it only made them more popular as the face of Soviet punk.

Back in the early ’90s, their hit “Kommissar” became a cultural phenomenon. It was covered by tons of bands and sung in clubs and dorm rooms from Leningrad to Vladivostok. AU were now legends — though internally, it was a bit of a mess. The band broke into two parts: one playing basic punk, and the other calling itself the “AU Orchestra,” trying out funk, pop-rock, and even disco. They kept performing in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and beyond.

By the mid-’90s, Svin’ was still the band’s unshakable center, despite all the lineup changes. In 1998, AU recorded what would be their final studio album, “Holiday of Disobedience, or The Last Day of Pompeii.” Their last live show was in July, which was actually part of the “Rock Against Drugs” festival. A month later, Panov, who never really paid attention to his health, died of a burst appendix that went untreated in time.

AU are still a symbol of Soviet punk — they’re raw, chaotic, and totally authentic. Andrei Panov is remembered not only as a frontman but also as a cultural disruptor who gave Russian punk its first real voice.

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Key Facts

• Pioneers of Soviet punk: Avtomaticheskie Udovletvoriteli (often shortened to AU or Auto-U) were the first truly iconic punk band in the USSR. They blended the anarchic philosophy of Western punk with the raw, sarcastic energy of Russian street culture.
• Founder: Andrei Panov (known as Svin’, meaning “Pig,” 1960–1998), son of world-renowned ballet master Valery Panov.
• Early days: Formed in the summer of 1979, initially as a loose group of friends inspired by newspaper snippets about The Sex Pistols and The Clash — but without access to the actual music.
• First breakthrough: In 1980, they traveled to Moscow, recorded the album “To Moscow!”, and played infamous underground shows featuring young Viktor Tsoi.
• Conflicts and surveillance: In the early ’80s, AU were watched closely by the KGB. Membership changed constantly, with over 30 musicians passing through the lineup.
• Comeback: In 1986, as censorship eased, AU returned to the stage, joined the Leningrad Rock Club, and began performing at major festivals.
• Cult status: By the early ’90s, their song “Kommissar” had become a punk anthem, known across the country.
• 1990s chaos: The band split into two parallel lineups — one sticking to raw punk, the other experimenting with funk and disco — while continuing to tour and record.
• The end: Their last concert was in July 1998. A month later, Panov died of peritonitis at the age of 38.