Pussy Riot is a Moscow based Russian art protest collective. Founded in 2011, the group first organised unauthorized and highly provocative performances of guerrilla punk rock in unusual public places, which were later recorded as music videos and published online. Dominant themes included feminism, LGBT rights and opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the group considered a dictator. These issues also touched on Putin’s links with the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The group gained worldwide notoriety when five of its members held a performance inside the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour of Moscow in 2012. Their performance was considered a sacrilege by the Orthodox clergy and, ultimately, by Church security officers. Pussy Riot claimed their protest was directed the church’s supporting Putin during his election campaign. In March 2012, three members of the group, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, were arrested and charged with vandalism.