Maria Alyokhina talks to Oliver Bullough

Pussy Riot bravely and flamboyantly harnessed the power of art and culture to resist Putin’s oppression. This is a rare chance to hear first-hand from its founder member Maria Alyokhina. She served time in a brutal Russian prison after performing the punk prayer ‘Virgin Mary, Banish Putin’ with her friends at the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. In the face of a new prison sentence, she eventually escaped from Russia dressed as a food delivery driver.

Providing inspiration to a new generation of activists, Alyokhina, author of Political Girl, shares first-hand experiences of the way Russia treats dissidents, emphasises the importance of grassroots opposition and explains how she continues to oppose Putin’s regime. And as the UK government tightens restrictions on protests, we can learn from Alyokhina why standing up to state-sanctioned repression is vital. She speaks to investigative journalist Oliver Bullough.