Russia on Monday declared feminist protest punk band Pussy Riot “extremist” — a label used to outlaw critics of President Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine.
Pussy Riot songs and videos have been banned in Russia since 2012, after the band held a protest in a church, which brought it worldwide fame but jail terms for some of its members.
A court in Moscow said it had upheld prosecution submissions “to recognise the punk band Pussy Riot as an extremist organisation and ban its activities on the territory of the Russian Federation”.
Since Russia launched its offensive on Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin has intensified its crackdown on dissent and banned dozens of groups critical of its policy or Moscow’s conduct in the war.
After the court’s decision, founding member Nadya Tolokonnikova, now living in exile, said she was “proud” to be labelled “extremist” by Russia.
“When I was tried for the punk prayer, facing seven years in a labor camp, I told the judge and prosecutors that I was still freer than they would ever be,” she said in comments sent to AFP.
“In today’s Russia, telling the truth is extremism. So be it — we’re proud extremists, then,” she added.
The band, long-time opponents of the Kremlin, were expecting the decision.
“The law is designed to erase Pussy Riot from the minds of Russian citizens,” they said on social media last week.
The label makes any interactions with the group illegal in Russia, even likes in social media, past or present, effectively ostracising it in the country.
Pussy Riot activists, who have been living in exile for years, have consistently criticised Putin and have campaigned against the war in Ukraine.
Russian authorities already block access to thousands of websites accused of hosting “extremist” content, ranging from Islamist materials to pro-Ukraine songs and Instagram owner Meta.
Non-existent organisations such as the “international Satanism movement” and “international LGBT movement” are also on the list, along with more than 5,000 entries that include web pages, political slogans, books, artworks and music albums.
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