After Pussy Riot protest at World Cup final, four other high-profile performances anti-Kremlin group has carried out
With Russian political protest group Pussy Riot back in the headlines after an audacious pitch invasion during yesterday’s World Cup final, we look back at some of their previous memorable performances – and the repercussions
Fifty-two minutes into the World Cup final, with France 2-1 up and edging ever closer to victory, four people dressed as Russian police officers stormed the field, holding up play. Pussy Riot, a Russian feminist anti-Kremlin protest group which stages guerilla performances in public places, claimed responsibility for the invasion.
The group posted on its Facebook page that the intention was to draw attention to human rights abuses in Russia and to the actions of the police, such as “illegal arrests on rallies” and “fabricating criminal accusations” to keep people in jail “for no reason”.
During the match, four members of the group, wearing white shirts with police insignia, black trousers and police hats, ran onto the field from behind the French goal.
A female member of the group was pictured high-fiving French player Kylian Mbappe. They were swiftly chased across the pitch and caught by security.