The Home Office has added four Pussy Riot members to a wanted list, a development confirmed by multiple news outlets. The named individuals are Olga Borisova, Diana Burkot, Alina Petrova, and Taso Pletner, with Maria Alekhina also included on the same list. The official filing did not specify which legal article the defendants were accused of violating.
The official filing did not indicate the precise article under which the defendants faced charges, a detail that has provoked questions about the scope and intent of the action. Analysts note that such listings can be part of broader campaigns to deter protest groups, even when the exact statutory basis remains unclear to observers.
Former Pussy Riot member Pyotr Verzilov, identified by Russian authorities as a foreign agent, faced a controversial fine levied under the Foreign Agents Act. The move drew attention from supporters and critics who view the designation as a tool to silence dissent.
In Russia, Verzilov was sentenced in absentia to eight and a half years in a general regime penal colony for tarnishing the reputation of the Russian armed forces. He has remained on an international wanted list since 2023. The Investigative Committee has suggested he could be located in Italy or the Vatican, though no independent verification has followed.
In an interview, Verzilov acknowledged taking part in the Ukraine conflict on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This admission spurred a public dispute and led to his resignation as editor of Mediazona, a publication designated a foreign agent in Russia, with supporters arguing that his actions compromised the outlet’s impartiality. A prior attempt to arrest Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in absentia, who is also listed as a foreign agent in Russia, was rejected.