Pussy Riot Stormed the Field During the World Cup Final

Members of the Russian punk collective staged a political protest during the game

BY Alex HudsonPublished Jul 15, 2018

During today's FIFA World Cup final in Russia, the match between France and Croatia was temporarily disrupted when some audience members ran out on the field. Now, the punk disruptors of Pussy Riot have claimed responsibility for the incident, revealing that it was a political protest.

The four Pussy Riot members who rushed the field were dressed in police uniforms as a protest against Russian authorities. In a post on Twitter, the group revealed that the protest was called "Policeman Enters the Game," and they laid out a set of demands. These include "allow political competition in the country" and "not fabricate criminal accusations and not keep people in jails for no reason."

Read the artists' statement below. Also below, see video footage of the incident, which was filmed by an audience member at the game.

UPDATE (7/16, 5 p.m. EDT): Three of the four members of Pussy Riot who rushed the field have been placed under "15 days of administrative arrest" for their actions. Veronica Nikulshina, Olga Kurachyova and Pyotr Verzilov will all serve the same sentence, the band announced. Nikulshina was also reportedly barred from sporting events indefinitely, while Verzilov is banned for three years. The fourth member involved in the protest, Olga Pakhtusova, is still awaiting sentencing.

Of course, Pussy Riot have a long history of protesting Russia's political regime, and the members have attracted world attention by being jailed.

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