A Moscow court has formally designated the feminist protest band Pussy Riot as an “extremist organisation,” a legal classification that criminalises the group’s activities and bars any form of engagement with it within the Russian Federation.
The ruling upholds the prosecution’s application to prohibit the band’s operations nationwide, extending a ban that has already covered its music and videos since a 2012 protest performance in a Moscow cathedral. The “extremist” label renders even indirect interaction—such as online support or past expressions of approval—potentially unlawful under Russian law.
The decision comes amid an intensified crackdown on dissent following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Authorities have since outlawed numerous organisations and materials deemed critical of state policy, relying on expansive extremism legislation to restrict political opposition, artistic expression, and digital activity.
Counsel for the band criticised the ruling as a further attempt to silence government critics, while the group itself said the law is being used to erase its presence from public life. Pussy Riot members, many of whom have lived in exile for years, have remained outspoken opponents of President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine.
Legal analysts note that the designation underscores the breadth of Russia’s extremism framework, which has increasingly been applied beyond security-related threats to encompass political speech, cultural expression, and advocacy deemed undesirable by the state.
