Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova Faces Russian Indictment, Added to Federal Wanted List
Nadya Tolokonnikova, co-founder of the activist group Pussy Riot, has been added to Russia's federal wanted list following an indictment for allegedly violating the country's "foreign agent law."
The punk activist and artist Nadya Tolokonnikova – who was designated a “foreign agent” by Russia’s Ministry of Justice in 2021 – faces indictment after an investigation by the country’s Investigative Committee.
Reps for the band confirm that the committee accuses Tolokonnikova of violating Russia’s “foreign agent law,” resulting in her addition to the federal wanted list, according to Billboard.
Tolokonnikova is accused of violating Part 2 of Article 330.1 of the national criminal code, which carries a punishment of up to 2 years’ imprisonment for “foreign agents” on a range of offenses, including failure to register or label social media posts.
In 2024, the Krasnoyarsk Krai Court twice found her guilty of administrative offenses for violating foreign agent regulations. While outside Russia, she allegedly distributed materials on a messaging platform without labeling them as being produced by a foreign agent.
This development follows Pussy Riot's recent protest outside US tech company Ubiquiti’s Manhattan headquarters, denouncing them for “powering Russian war crimes”.
Pussy Riot initially gained prominence for their 2012 protest piece, ‘A Punk Prayer,’ a response to accusations of electoral fraud during Putin’s re-election. This act led to the imprisonment of members Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova, who were later released early due to an amnesty bill passed before Russia hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Since then, the collective has staged numerous protests, including a performance at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, a pitch invasion during the 2018 World Cup Finals, and a demonstration at the Indiana State Capitol in response to the US Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. In the same year, Tolokonnikova released Pussy Riot's debut mixtape ‘Matriarchy Now’.
In 2023, Pussy Riot received the Woody Guthrie Prize. Tolokonnikova has also collaborated with various artists, including a single with Avenged Sevenfold, a collaboration with Nova Twins, and a mixtape executive produced by Tove Lo, featuring guest appearances from Salem Ilese, Big Freedia, Hudson Mohawke, and iLoveMakonnen.
A scripted television series about Pussy Riot was announced in 2023 by Tolokonnikova, who aims to “inspire a new generation of rebels” with the show.
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