Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova is on Russia’s wanted list

Russian authorities have placed Nadya Tolokonnikova, the most public-facing member of Pussy Riot, on a list of wanted criminals. The news was first reported by Mediazona, a Russian publication founded by Pussy Riot. Multiple outlets have since confirmed, including the Associated Press, whose article cites an entry in the Russian Interior Ministry’s database stating Tolokonnikova faces criminal charges. The specific charges she faces have yet to be revealed. The FADER has reached out to a representative of Pussy Riot for further comment.

In January, Pussy Riot released a protest piece titled “Putin’s Ashes” in which they set fire to a painting of the Russian president. The group were charged earlier this month with “offending against religious feeling,“ a crime for which Tolokonnikova has already served two years in a prison camp.

News of Tolokonnikova’s placement on the wanted list comes just a week after The Woody Guthrie Center announced Pussy Riot as the 2023 winners of their annual prize for artists “who best exemplif[y] Woody Guthrie’s spirit and work by speaking for the less fortunate… and serving as a positive force for social change.” For most, the renewed danger of arrest might put a damper on the celebration, but Tolokonnikova seems to be taking it in stride: Earlier today (March 29), she reacted to the news with a defiant Instagram post captioned “oopsie i was just added to russia’s federal wanted list.”