Pussy Riot member says ‘Ukraine must win’ after being handed jail term

WorldPolitics
16 Sep 2025 • 10:02 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Five members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot have been sentenced in absentia to prison in Russia.
  • Moscow’s Basmanny District Court reportedly handed down jail terms ranging from eight to 13 years to Maria Alyokhina, Taso Pletner, Olga Borisova, Diana Burkot and Alina Petrova.
  • The charges included spreading “false information” about the Russian army in a 2022 music video and one member urinating on a portrait of President Vladimir Putin.
  • All five members rejected the charges, saying they were politically motivated and linked to their criticism of the war in Ukraine.
  • In a statement given to Rolling Stone, Burkot said: “I continue to believe: Ukraine must win, and Putin must face trial in The Hague.”

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