Russian Court Sentences Pussy Riot Member Liudmila Stein to Six Years in Prison for Anti-War Tweets

In absentia, a Russian court sentenced Pussy Riot member Liudmila (Lucy) Stein to six years in prison for spreading “false information” about the Russian Armed Forces. Prosecutors had requested an eight-year sentence and a four-year internet ban. Stein, who is abroad and on Russia’s wanted list, was accused of sharing false information about the Armed Forces on Twitter.

Pussy Riot gained notoriety for a protest in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 2012. At least 19,855 people have been detained in Russia for expressing anti-war views since President Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Stein fled Moscow with her girlfriend and fellow Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina, eventually settling in Iceland after being granted citizenship.

Stein had previously been sentenced to one year of restriction of freedom for violating sanitary regulations during a demonstration in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. After the war started, Stein cut off her electronic ankle bracelet and left Russia. The criminal case against Stein was based on a tweet she posted in March 2022 commenting on a video showing Ukrainian soldiers shooting at Russian prisoners of war.