Ukrainecast Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina on Russian prisons and living in exile
Nov 11, 2025
Maria Alyokhina, a founding member of Pussy Riot and fierce critic of Putin, shares her harrowing experiences in Russian detention and her daring escape disguised as a delivery driver. She discusses the evolving Russian opposition landscape and her book, *Political Girl*, which captures the struggle against repression. Maria reflects on the power of political art and the emotional toll of exile, contemplating whether Russia will always feel like home despite the risks for her and her family.
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Cathedral Action And Arrest
- Maria Alyokhina describes Pussy Riot's 2012 cathedral action and the immediate police fallout that led to criminal charges.
- She recounts being arrested returning from kindergarten with her son and entering a year of conspiratorial hiding and legal peril.
Life Inside A Penal Colony
- She details the brutal penal colony routine: long transports, barracks, forced labor and very cold conditions near Berezniki.
- Maria describes solitary confinement after complaining about warm clothes and surveillance that limited other inmates speaking to her.
Released Under Olympic Amnesty
- Maria explains she was released early under a 2014 Olympic amnesty but resisted the label and used the moment as the opening of her book.
- She says she initially didn't want to leave the penal colony despite the state amnesty publicity.
