Overview
- Tverskoy District Court granted a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office to designate Pussy Riot an extremist organization, according to the court service on Monday.
- The ruling outlaws the collective’s activities in Russia and exposes anyone linked to it to potential criminal prosecution.
- Most core members operate from abroad, and activists warned the decision will chill support inside Russia, including symbolic or online expressions.
- In September, a Russian court sentenced Maria Alyokhina to 13 years in absentia, Taso Pletner to 11, and Olga Borisova, Diana Burkot, and Alina Petrova to eight for allegedly spreading false information about the military.
- The designation fits a broader pattern in which Russian courts have labeled entities such as Meta and the so‑called international LGBT public movement as extremist.