Nadya Tolokonnikova, the founder of the politically charged punk group Pussy Riot, has been named one of Russia’s most wanted criminal suspects.
The news first appeared on the outlet Mediazona, an independent news site founded by the band to cover the country’s courts, law enforcement, and prison systems in an effort to combat Russia’s growing press restrictions. According to documents cited in multiple media reports, including Mediazona’s, Tolokonnikova’s name was in the Russian Interior Ministry’s database of wanted individuals for unspecified criminal charges.
Variety has reached out to Pussy Riot’s representatives for comment.
Tolokonnikova has been a long-time activist and critic of Vladimir Putin (the band shared a short film titled “Putin’s Ashes” in January) and the Russian regime. Pussy Riot grew global attention for performing and protesting inside Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, resulting in the arrest of Tolokonnikova and fellow Pussy Riot member Maria “Masha” Alyokhina. They were charged with “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred or hostility,” which sent them both to prison for nearly two years until their release in 2013.
Still, Tolokonnikova has shown no signs of stopping. The group continues to stage several demonstrations as a means of activism and has been proactive in finding new avenues for protest — including the 2022 creation of UkraineDAO, an NFT of the Ukrainian flag that raised more than $7 million only two days after Russia’s first military invasion.
This comes just as Pussy Riot has been selected as Woody Guthrie Prize honorees for “best [exemplifying] Guthrie’s spirit and work by speaking for the less fortunate through music, film, literature, dance, or other art forms and serving as a positive force for social change.” They will be performing their multi-media show, “Riot Days,” for the first time in the U.S.