A Moscow court sentenced five members of the Russian activist art collective Pussy Riot in absentia to between eight and 13 years in prison. The charges stem from a 2022 music video titled *Mama, Don’t Watch TV*, which denounced the war in Ukraine, and a 2024 protest performance in Munich. The targeted artists are Maria Alyokhina, Diana Burkot, Taso Pletner, Olga Borisova, and Alina Petrova. They were found guilty of “discrediting the Russian Armed Forces” and “spreading false information” about the military.
The verdict underscores the Kremlin’s escalating repression of dissent and free expression, but Pussy Riot says it will not silence the group’s anti-war message. The collective, which gained international fame after a 2011 guerrilla “punk prayer” in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, has become a global symbol of feminist protest art. The sentences follow similar prosecutions of other members, including cofounder Nadya Tolokonnikova and activist Pyotr Verzilov. The case highlights the ongoing risks faced by artists in Russia and the use of the legal system to suppress political art.