Pussy Riot members sentenced to jail in Russia over anti-war performances

Five members of Pussy Riot have been sentenced in absentia on charges related to their performances criticising Russia's war against Ukraine.

Mediazona, a news outlet co-founded by members of the Russian feminist punk band, reported that Diana Burkot, Maria Alyokhina, Taso Pletner, Olga Borisova and Alina Petrova are facing prison terms ranging from eight to 13 years under a verdict delivered by the Basmanny District Court in Moscow.

The charges stem from a December 2022 music video for 'Mama, Don’t Watch TV', which Russian authorities alleged spread "false information" about the Russian military killing Ukrainian civilians. However in July, the UN recorded at least 13,883 civilian deaths in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Burkot, one of the sentenced band members and songwriter of 'Mama, Don't Watch TV', said in a statement to Rolling Stone she "stands by every single word, and my anti-war stance is clear."

"The full-scale war against Ukraine has been going on for more than three years. And I continue to believe: Ukraine must win, and Putin must face trial in The Hague," said Burkot, adding that she urges "every person in this world to use their voice."

Russian authorities also cited an April 2024 performance in Munich where one band member reportedly urinated on a portrait of Vladimir Putin as the basis for the charges.

Pussy Riot's legal representatives say they rejected the charges and claimed the trial and sentences are politically motivated.

Burkot said the Russian government has "no access to my physical body," but that "even if I were in Russia, I would say the same thing: go fuck yourself."

"The Russian government is a textbook example of patriarchy — the worst kind of abuser: a tyrant, a narcissist, a gaslighter, a toxic manipulator who lives off the destruction of others’ will," Burkot said.

"Activism now is needed like daily practice, because only together can we resist and overcome the crisis of democracy."

A Russian law that came into force this month made searching for certain music videos by Pussy Riot illegal, deeming them as “extremist content.”

In response, Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova has launched the Artist Action Foundation, aiming to support artists targeted by authoritarian regimes and protect their work against state repression.

Tolokonnikova was sentenced to two years in prison in 2012 for performing ‘Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Chase Putin Away’ at a guerrilla show in Moscow. In 2023, she was arrested in absentia again and added to Russia’s International Wanted list.

In 2023, the band reached a deal for a limited scripted television series.