Five members of the band Pussy Riot were sentenced in absentia to prison terms by a court in Moscow, according to The Art Newspaper. Specifically, Maria (Masha) Alekhina, Olga Borisova, Dayana Burkot, Alina Petrova, and Taso Pletner were sentenced to terms ranging from 8 to 13 years for “deliberately spreading false information containing data related to the development of the Russian Armed Forces,” according to the court. Pussy Riot is a feminist, political, activist Russian band, known primarily for public protest actions that combine punk music, performance art, and political criticism, particularly against Vladimir Putin, state repression, and the Russian Orthodox Church’s interference in political life. The case concerns an anti-war video by the band from 2022, which begins with the phrase “the screams of Mariupol,” as well as their previous actions opposing Vladimir Putin.
It should be noted that in 2022, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Its siege did not leave the city’s cultural spaces unaffected. Russian soldiers allegedly stole more than 2,000 artworks from three local museums, including the Kuindzhi Art Museum, according to Mariupol’s city council in 2022.
“I stand by every word and my anti-war stance is clear. The paradox is that rapists and murderers in Russia are sentenced to 3 to 4 years, while activists receive monstrous sentences for their views,” stated Dayana Burkot in her announcement.
