Pussy Riot founder talks to Kathimerini about Russia’s ‘military dictatorship’ ahead of visit to Athens

What is it like to live in constant fear of attack or imprisonment by the Russian state? The very harsh reality is described to Kathimerini by the creator of the Russian feminist protest art collective Pussy Riot, Nadya Tolokonnikova.

In February 2012 she became popular when, at the age of 23, she staged a performance with four other members of Pussy Riot in the interior of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Wearing colorful hoods, the Russian feminists protested against the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church, which openly supported President Vladimir Putin. The act was described as "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred," with her and two of her companions sentenced to two years in prison. However, prison and psychological warfare did not deter her from continuing her fight to promote feminism and LGBTQ rights in Russian society, with her views leading...