Pussy Riot

Maria (Masha) Alyokhina

Maria (Masha) Alyokhina is a founding member of Pussy Riot. In 2012, she was sentenced to two years in a penal colony for the performance “Punk Prayer” in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. During her imprisonment, she successfully challenged the prison administration over the treatment of inmates. She documented those experiences in her book Riot Days, followed by Political Girl. She also curated Velvet Terrorism, the first comprehensive survey of Pussy Riot’s work, which has travelled internationally from Reykjavik to museums across Europe and North America. In 2025, a Moscow court sentenced her to 13 years in absentia.

Alexander Cheparukhin

Alexander Cheparukhin is the founder of GreenWave Music. In 2012, following the imprisonment of Pussy Riot members, he mobilised artists including Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, Patti Smith, Sting, and hundreds of others in their support. He brought Maria Alyokhina the idea for the performance, found the director and publishers for her books, and helped develop Riot Days. He personally opens every performance.

Alina Petrova (Rov)

Alina Petrova is the musician behind the violin opening of Riot Days. She is the founder of the Kymatic ensemble and works across violin, viola, modular synthesizers, and live programming. She completed an MSc in Sonology at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. In 2025, a Moscow court sentenced her to eight years in absentia.

Taso Pletner

Taso Pletner trained at the Moscow Art Theatre School under Dmitry Brusnikin. His collaboration with Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson opened Velvet Terrorism in Reykjavik and later travelled to Montreal, Vancouver, Munich, and beyond. In 2025, a Moscow court sentenced him to 11 years in absentia.

Eric Breitenbach

Eric Breitenbach is the drummer driving Riot Days, touring with the production since June 2025. He also provides the live score for Maria Alyokhina’s literary performances of Political Girl across Europe and the UK.