Russia’s justice ministry has officially designated Pussy Riot, the feminist punk rock band and art collective co-founded by Nadya Tolokonnikova, as an “extremist organization.” The ruling follows a December 15 closed-door hearing at Moscow’s Tverskoy Court, where prosecutor general Alexander Gutsan filed a lawsuit against the group. The designation bans all Pussy Riot activities in Russia and allows the state to seize property of members and their families, and to prosecute anyone supporting the group. Tolokonnikova told ARTnews the group will appeal, calling the decision a source of “anxiety and bureaucratic nonsense.” In September, five members were sentenced to 8–13 years for spreading “fakes” about the Russian military, and Tolokonnikova was placed on Russia’s wanted list in 2023 after her performance *Putin’s Ashes*.
This matters because it marks a significant escalation in the Kremlin’s crackdown on independent artistic and political expression, using the “extremist” label to criminalize dissent beyond the earlier “foreign agent” and “criminal” designations. The ruling threatens not only Pussy Riot members abroad but also their families and associates still in Russia, who face property seizure and prosecution. It underscores the growing risks for artists and activists in Russia, where the state increasingly conflates art with political extremism, and highlights the broader erosion of civil liberties under Vladimir Putin’s regime.