Russian punk band Pussy Riot released their latest music video “Chaika” on Feb. 3. Made up of 11 women in their 20s and 30s, Pussy Riot has gained widespread acclaim and notoriety as one of the most famous protest groups in Russia. Pussy Riot creates music that advocates for feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In Russia, however, this freedom of expression is not tolerated. Three members of Pussy Riot were each sentenced to two years in a penal colony in 2012 as a result of a live performance of their music video called “Punk Prayer—Mother of God, Chase Putin Away.”
In response to the arrest, “Chaika” is named after Prosecutor General Yuri Y. Chaika—the man responsible for the imprisonment of the members. In a society where freedom of speech is forbidden, Pussy Riot’s efforts to condemn the Russian government’s injustices is commendable.
Time and time again, Pussy Riot continues to make the news. During an incident where two members were imprisoned, the band performed and danced in front of a cathedral in Moscow. The members were jailed upon charges of “hooliganism,” a term used to describe disruptive behavior by rioting, bullying and vandalism. So far, there has been no official reaction from the Russian government on the release of “Chaika.”
Chaika was accused of using his power to help his sons acquire a massive business empire while hiding their ties to the Tsapok gang. Pussy Riot’s music video sheds light on the corruption of the Russian criminal justice system, using Chaika as their spotlight. The video illustrates graphic images of people being hanged, waterboarded and burned with hot irons.
The name Chaika—meaning “seagull”—is represented by one of the band members wearing a bird mask. All of the band members were dressed in prosecutor uniforms as well. Throughout the entire video, Pussy Riot co-founder Nadezhda Tolokonnikova raps, “Be humble, learn to obey” and “You wanna get away with murder? Be loyal to your boss.” Lastly, Tolokonnikova is seen eating a golden loaf of bread—a Soviet symbol of corruption.
In an episode of the Netflix original series “House of Cards,” members of Pussy Riot made an appearance. Tolokonnikova, her husband Pyotr Verzilov and Maria Alyokhina are shown in the episode standing up to a fictional Putin—named Viktor Petrov—during a White House dinner where they dramatically pour their drinks on the floor in dissent. Much of the third season focused on the tensions between Russia and the United States—an accurate representation of the actual relationship. During an interview, however, Pussy Riot stated that “real life” Putin is much worse than Petrov on the show.
Russia has a long history of oppressing artists and their expression. Dating back to the 1930s when Russia was part of the Soviet Union, for example, Dmitri Shostakovich was forced to withdraw his Fourth Symphony for fear of being killed by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
Unfortunately, not much has changed in contemporary Russia—creating music that goes against the Russian government still continues to be illegal. Pussy Riot has rightfully stirred up much conflict for Putin, Chaika and the rest of the Russian government, however.