Almost a decade ago, on August 17, 2012, five members of Pussy Riot entered Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior and performed a punk act aimed at protesting the political climate. The moment was followed by a swift cancellation, and the group received a two-year prison sentence. The spokesperson Maria Alekhina spoke by phone, condemning a deteriorating situation in Russia and the ongoing war as it unfolded.
Around the time of these denunciations, Alekhina fled Russia, leaving conduits of daily life behind. She moved first through Belarus, then Lithuania, and finally to Iceland, where allies in the art world helped arrange a European tour that included a stop in Barcelona. She recalled a long period of tight restrictions, including multiple arrests, days in custody, and house confinement with an electronic monitoring bracelet.
war censorship
With the decision to perform the tour in place, Alekhina explained that there was no intention of retreating from public life. She stated that actions against the war were illegal in Russia, yet she remained focused on the shows themselves and not the broader political peril surrounding them. She described a situation where reporting on war, sharing images from Bucha, or speaking about Russian soldiers could trigger legal action. The experience echoed the punitive atmosphere faced by dissidents in the West, illustrating how war censorship could lead to criminal cases for almost any remark.
Alekhina noted that roughly four million people had left Russia since the conflict began. She framed the exodus as a consequence of state propaganda that fueled hatred, and she drew comparisons to the way provocations from Western media sometimes mirror the strength shown by public commentary rather than overt provocation. The tour, she said, would continue to travel through Europe, underscoring a commitment to art and expression despite heavy-handed constraints.
broken ligaments
When asked whether Putin exceeded expectations, she described him in stark terms as a violent figure who presents himself as a new authoritarian force. Yet she emphasized that the country’s ties to family and kin complicate the conflict, noting that many Russians have relatives in Ukraine and that those connections are changing. She considered European Union embargoes on Russian oil and gas as a start, though she viewed them as late and insufficient for a lasting shift.
These realities inform the touring show Riot Days, which draws on the book of the same name published by Alekhina in 2017. The project carries a manifesto of liberty and peace, with Alekhina recounting her journey from the first act to life in prison, now framed by the ongoing war in Ukraine. The show incorporates an array of punk influences, including references to artists from the perestroika era and figures like Lydia Lunch, while remaining rooted in a broader human-rights message.
Pussy Riot operates as an open collective. Nadya Tolokonnikova, for example, resides in the United States, yet the group remains united by shared goals and principles. Alekhina stressed that they work from different places but fight for the same human-rights causes, and she dismissed the notion of fear, acknowledging that one cannot fully grasp bravery when witnessing the situation in Ukraine.