What are the members of Pussy Riot doing now. Biography of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Nadezhda Tolokonnikova

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is a woman who, probably, is simply impossible to treat unambiguously. Some call her an ardent patriot of Russia and one of the most prominent political figures of the new wave. Such a judgment has the right to life. As, however, is the opinion of the opposite group of people who call her a mentally unbalanced special and the most ordinary hooligan.

One way or another, in our today's article we will try to refrain from any judgments and conclusions about the personality of this political activist and try to tell about her life and fate with restraint and impartiality. Where did the political career of this extraordinary girl begin? What actions and actions made the whole of Europe talk about it. All this - further in our biographical article.

Early years, childhood and the family of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova

The future political activist was born in the distant and snowy Norilsk. Literally a year after the appearance of their daughter, her parents moved to Krasnoyarsk, but a few years later they returned to Norilsk again. At an early age, the girl was mainly raised by her grandmother, but later her parents also began to take an active part in her daughter's life.

From an early age, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was distinguished by her expressive character and a peculiar look at the events around her. Among the main advantages of our today's heroine, all her acquaintances rank the ability, rare for the modern world, not to be indifferent to the fate of other people and the entire state as a whole.

Perhaps it was these qualities that predetermined the entire future fate of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. After graduating from secondary school, the future political activist moved to Moscow, where she soon entered the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University.

Some time later, our today's heroine met a young artist and political activist Pyotr Verzilov. Their political and social views largely coincided, and therefore the two young people very soon found a common language. Together they hitchhiked in Spain and Portugal, and after returning to Russia, they became husband and wife. In 2008, Nadezhda gave birth to her husband's daughter Hera. During this period, the girl was eighteen years old.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in Pussy Riot and politics, confession

In the late 2000s, our today's heroine began to take an active part in various events organized by the Voina art group. Being in her fifth month of pregnancy, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova took part in a scandalous sexual orgy that took place at the Biological Museum. K.A. Timiryazev. This action was timed to coincide with the presidential elections in Russia and, according to the organizers of this action, was supposed to become a kind of sarcastic parody of what is happening in the country.

Pussy Riot, Pussy Riot, Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova, Sobchak live

After this action, the girl was going to be expelled from Moscow State University, but subsequently the university management changed its mind and still left Tolokonnikova among the students.

Subsequently, our today's heroine began to continue to participate in various political actions that took place under the auspices of the Voina art group, as well as other public and political organizations. Thus, one of the most famous protests was the public image of a phallic symbol on the Liteiny Bridge, as well as the so-called “cockroach court”, during which activists of a socio-political organization broke into the building of the Tagansky court and began to scatter cockroaches throughout the hall. The girl herself explained the meaning of such campaigns on her pages on social networks. Thus, soon Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (or, as she often called herself, Nadya Tolokno) became one of the most popular and read bloggers on the Russian segment of the Internet.

In addition, the political actions of our today's heroine have been repeatedly awarded various awards both in Russia and Europe.

In mid-2011, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova became one of the members of the Pussy Riot art group. In fact, the only significant action of this group was the so-called punk prayer service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. During this action, a group of girls performed in the church a fragment of their own composition "Mother of God, drive Putin away."

Tolokonnikova from Pussy Riot in Special Correspondent

This action was interrupted by representatives of the power structures of Russia. As a result, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and two other members of the Pussy Riot project were detained and brought to trial. The rally in the Moscow church was regarded as hooliganism, committed on the basis of religious hatred. Nadezhda was sentenced to two years in prison and sent to a penal colony.

In addition, the court resolution contained allegations that members of the art group suffer from mixed personality disorder. As one of the confirmations of this, the fact was cited that the young daughter of Nadezhda Gera was repeatedly injured due to the actions of her mother, and once even received a linear fracture of the parietal part of the skull.

Political resonance and other facts about Nadezhda Tolokonnikova

The trial of members of the Pussy Riot group was actively covered by representatives of European and Russian media. In defense of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, many well-known show business stars spoke out, insisting, like the detainee herself, that this action was not of a religious, but of a political nature. In particular, such stars as Madonna, Stephen Fry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as many other Russian and Western celebrities performed in support of Nadia Tolokno.

In addition, resolutions in support of the punk prayer participants were adopted by various political and human rights organizations. Thus, the authoritative company Amnesty International recognized Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and other members of the art group as prisoners of conscience.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova now

In 2012, the French edition of Le Figaro named the girl "Woman of the Year". A year later, the Russian radio station "Echo of Moscow" included Tolokonnikova in the list of the hundred most influential women in Russia.

A kind of support for the famous member of the Pussy Riot group can also be called the fact that Nadezhda has repeatedly been included in the number of the most desirable and sexy women in Russia (according to Maxim magazine) and the whole world (according to the AskMen.com portal).

The biography of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is ambiguous and contradictory. Some call the girl an activist and a fighter for the rights of citizens, others are extremely negative.

Childhood and youth

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was born on November 7, 1989 in Norilsk. The girl studied at a secondary school, while playing the piano at the same time. Indifference to other people's problems and their own opinion on each issue determined the fate of the girl.

After graduating from school with a gold medal, Nadezhda decided to get a higher education in the capital, enrolling at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University.

Creativity and scandals

At the university, the girl met young artists who created the radical art group "War". Members of the association promoted a new version of avant-garde art. Nadezhda joined the protests and outrageous actions of the team. One of the first actions where Tolokonnikova participated was a sexual orgy that took place in the Biological Museum. At this time, the girl was 9 months pregnant. Later, Nadezhda called the performance "a statement on a political topic using the genre of creationism."

The next memorable action of the art group was held under the name "Cockroach Court" during the announcement of the verdict in the case of the organizers of the exhibition "Forbidden Art-2006". Activists scattered about 3,000 Madagascar cockroaches in the premises of the Tagansky court in the capital. For such antics, Tolokonnikova was threatened with expulsion from Moscow State University, but still left at the faculty, since she was one of the best students.

Among the antics of the art group "Voina" one can single out an action in a supermarket in St. Petersburg. A member of the association, not paying attention to the buyers, took off her underwear, placed the chicken under her dress, and went out into the street, arranged an impromptu birth.

At the age of 22, Nadezhda became a member of the Pussy Riot group, the concept of which is anonymity. The team sets itself several goals: the fight against power, upholding the rights of the LGBT community and the promotion of feminism. Following the concept, the members perform wearing colorful balaclavas to hide their faces. For performances held in the form of unauthorized actions, Pussy Riot chooses venues that are not intended for this: from public transport to the roofs of buildings.

The most famous action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior called "Punk Prayer", which received a public outcry. The girls came to the temple in masks, standing on a hill in front of the altar and turning on the sound-amplifying equipment, performed a musical composition of ambiguous content.

Then Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samutsevich were arrested as alleged participants. The court sentenced Nadezhda to 2 years in a penal colony under the article "hooliganism".

The verdict was appealed on cassation, but nothing has changed for Nadezhda and Maria. Ekaterina was replaced by a real term with a suspended one, having been released in the courtroom. According to a study conducted by the NewsEffector monitoring agency, the conviction was an unprecedented event in terms of global resonance and response. Most of the world's media wrote about this case.

Foreign celebrities, and Terry Gilliam, spoke in support of civil activists. In places of deprivation of liberty, Nadezhda organized a struggle against violations of the rights of prisoners. Tolokonnikova went on hunger strike more than once in protest.

The girl was serving her sentence in the women's IK-14 in the village of Partsa, in the Zubovo-Polyansky district of Mordovia. At the end of 2013, she was transferred to Alatyr, and a little later - to the Krasnodar Territory. She was released under an amnesty, 2 months ahead of schedule, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution - December 23, 2013.

The political activities of Nadezhda received wide approval from the West. In 2012, "Le Figaro" recognized her as "Woman of the Year", and The Times newspaper placed a picture of the activist on the cover. Moreover, Tolokonnikova took 18th place among the sexiest women in the Maxim polls.

After her release, Nadezhda continued her active work. So, the girl starred in the 3rd season of the foreign political series House of Cards.

The activist is still associated with the Pussy Riot group: Nadezhda appeared in the provocative videos "The Seagull" and "Make America Great Again". The last video was created against the choice of the President of the United States. In March 2013, Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina attended a lecture in Florida.

In the summer of 2015, the girl became the heroine of the shooting. Nadezhda was pleased with the photo shoot, calling Terry a "powerful" photographer.

Personal life

During her student years, Nadezhda met an artist and activist. The political views and common aspirations of young people largely coincided, so they quickly found a common language.

Together, the couple hitchhiked through Spain and Portugal. Upon returning to their homeland, Nadezhda and Peter entered into an official alliance. In 2008, the couple had a daughter, Hera, at that time the girl was 18 years old.

Usually children visit imprisoned parents, but the activist decided otherwise. In order not to injure the psyche of the child, during the investigation and serving the term, Nadezhda did not see Gera. After her release, the activist improved her personal life by restoring relations with her daughter.

Recently it became known that the family broke up, Nadezhda and Peter do not live together. As for the child, the girl alternately lives with her father, then with her mother. Young people have maintained good relations, continue to travel together on vacation and attend cultural events. Whether the divorce was formalized or not is unknown.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova now

Now Nadezhda continues to actively express her own position in society. The main task of the girl considers the protection of the rights of prisoners through participation in the project "Zone of Law".

Nadezhda has verified accounts on the social network

The official date of birth of Pussy Riot is November 7, 2011, when their first video was published on the Internet. In a short time, the members of the group (their composition and number were constantly changing) managed to perform short and extremely energetic songs in the Moscow metro, on the roof of a trolleybus, on the roof of a building opposite detention center No. 1, and even on Lobnoye Mesto on Red Square. By the way, eight girls came to Red Square, all of them were detained, two of them were brought to administrative responsibility.

The action, which the group members called a punk prayer, consisted of two parts. The first part of Pussy Riot was held on February 19 at the Yelokhovsky Cathedral at a time when there were no services and few parishioners. The members of the group performed silently at first, but as soon as they tried to sing the lines from their song, they were taken out of the temple by the guards.

According to Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, this episode did not receive wide coverage in the media, since "the girls did not have time to sing blasphemous words."

The second part of the punk prayer was held on February 21 in the temple. Participants in bright dresses, with their faces covered with balaclavas, climbed the pulpit (elevation in front of the altar barrier or iconostasis) of the temple, where they tried to sing the song “Theotokos, and drive away” with choreographic accompaniment, but less than a minute later they were kicked out by the guards.

Reaction to punk prayer

To say that what happened caused a huge resonance is to say nothing.

On the day of his speech, Protodeacon Andrey Kuraev, professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, called the action a “legitimate disgrace” during Maslenitsa, a time of “buffoonery and shifters,” and said that if he were the church’s dean, he would “feed them pancakes, give them a bowl of mead and invite them to come back again.” to the Order of Forgiveness."

True, the academic council of the academy sharply condemned the peaceful position, after which the protodeacon himself explained his statements by an attempt to enter into a pastoral dialogue and a desire to “lower the degree of boiling”.

In turn, the then chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society stated that the group’s actions in relation to Orthodox shrines were blasphemy (by the way, members of the punk band enriched the Russian language with the term “blasphemers”). According to Chaplin, their act kindled "discord between believers and non-believers", and "we, Orthodox Christians, were challenged boorishly, arrogantly and aggressively."

As for the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Kirill, he publicly spoke about the action only on March 24, 2012, calling their act a mockery that can fall "on someone's soul as some kind of valor, as some kind of correct expression of political protest, as some kind of appropriate action or as a harmless joke." He also added that "every believer (Pussy Riot's act) cannot but sting."

The opinions of Pussy Riot's colleagues in the music scene were also polarized. The leader of the DDT group said that the girls should be forgiven, and punished “not in the Orthodox way”: “We could have sung all this in front of the temple. As a believer, I didn't like it. But I forgave them as a Christian for this hooliganism. And I propose to everyone to forgive, and to set an example for ours.

At the same time, the singer erupted in an angry message on her website, saying that the members of the "punk group Pusi Hryusi", "goats" and "rubbish", insulted her "as a believing Christian to the core" (spelling and punctuation are copyright), and to to such an extent that Vaenga is "already shaking."

“Do you know why these goats didn’t go to the michet or the synagogue (? especially to the michet??????? Yes, because if they got in there, they would not have “reached” before the court, the Muslim brothers would have shown them at once” Christian forgiveness "(((((((((((gut is thin in the michet to stick your nose."

It should be noted that representatives of the Muslim clergy subsequently spoke condemningly about the actions of Pussy Riot, however, in a situation where they really tried to hold an action in a mosque, they would call the police.

What were the members of the group accused of?

Five days after the punk prayer, on February 26, 2012, the protesters were put on the wanted list on charges of hooliganism. On March 3, Maria Alyokhina was also arrested, and on March 16, Yekaterina Samutsevich. Two more participants of the action remained unrecognized.

The victims in the criminal case of the Pussy Riot “punk prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior were recognized as the temple guards who had previously been witnesses - employees of the Kolokol-A private security company Beloglazov, Shilin and others (eight people in total), the candlestick of the temple Lyubov Sokologorskaya and one parishioner, member of the People's Cathedral organization.

“After this action, the entire newly created Center for Combating Extremism of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, where I then served, raised the ears of the criminal investigation department of the Moscow police, people from and even employees of the police patrol service. There was only one task: to find all possible ways to convict Tolokonnikova and her two girlfriends of offenses, ”a source familiar with the investigation of the case against Tolokonnikova told Gazeta.Ru.

According to him, Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Incitement to hatred and enmity” covered then a relatively small range of criminal acts, and it could not be applied to what the Pussy Riot members had committed. And the article "Insulting the feelings of believers" in the Russian Criminal Code has not yet been. “In the end, it was decided to bring them to criminal liability for hooliganism.

At the same time, most of the old MUR operas were against giving the girls a real prison term. They did not rule out that a large fine and public apologies from the members of this, so to speak, group would be enough.

But the service zeal of the employees of the Investigative Committee and the young workers of the center “E” won,” he added.

Until the verdict was passed, the girls were kept in custody. All those arrested were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred. According to the investigation, Tolokonnikova, Samutsevich and Alyokhina prepared for the action in advance and carefully planned everything. “They distributed roles among themselves and deliberately acquired clothes for vestments that clearly and obviously contradict the general church rules, the requirements of order, discipline and the internal structure of the church,” the prosecution said.

In addition, the investigation separately noted that some details of Pussy Riot's clothing, in particular balaclavas and "short dresses exposing certain parts of the body," "increase the danger of the committed act and give it the appearance of a maliciously deliberate and carefully planned action to humiliate the feelings and beliefs of numerous adherents Orthodox Christian faith and belittling the spiritual foundation of the state.

According to the indictment, before visiting the main church of the country, the activists did everything possible to notify as many people as possible about their event, and the visit itself was supposed to “provoke unrest among believers, touch upon their innermost ideals and ideas about justice, good and evil” .

In the testimony of witnesses, the actions of Pussy Riot participants in the temple are described as follows: “Jumping, kicking up their legs, imitating dancing and punching imaginary opponents.” The guards, the dean and the parishioners reported that the activists “chaotically waved their arms and legs, danced and danced”, “their behavior, to put it mildly, was inappropriate, but in fact violated all conceivable and unthinkable generally accepted rules of conduct in the temple” and that their punk prayer hurt and insulted everyone.

The action in the temple evoked the same feelings among the victims - indignation, irritation and resentment. Separately, all of them in unison noted "severe mental pain" because the incident occurred in the last week before the post. The victims do not believe the statements of the activists who reported that they have a good attitude towards Orthodoxy. They considered that the words “shit of the Lord” is a blasphemy against Jesus Christ, and they perceived the fact that the activists crossed themselves and bowed as a parody of the actions of Orthodox believers.

"They ridicule the high role of the mother - the birth of children - and call for an aimless protest, a war of all against all." In addition, the witnesses involved in the case considered that during the punk prayer the activists managed to “mock Orthodox traditions” and “used a substitution of concepts”.

The latest examination in the case of Pussy Riot described the dances of the participants as “cheeky”, “vulgar”, “lecherous”, “inappropriately overtly sexualized”, “sexually promiscuous”, including due to the performance of the action in the XXC, obscene clothing and “high lifting legs above the waist.

Pussy Riot verdict

On August 17, 2012, all those arrested were sentenced under the article "Hooliganism" (part 2 of article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) to two years in prison c. However, on October 10, 2012, Samutsevich changed the sentence to a suspended sentence and released her in the courtroom. The decision was explained by the fact that she practically did not participate in the punk prayer itself, since she was detained by the guards at the pulpit immediately after the start of the action.

During the trial of the members of Pussy Riot, it seems that everyone managed to speak out in support of or against their actions, including the first persons of the state and world show business stars, including or. On April 23, 2012, the chairman called the punk prayer service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior an "outrageous" and "immoral" act, adding that the girls could be released. On April 26, 2012, Prime Minister Dmitry stated that, as a "churched person", he believes that the members of Pussy Riot got what they counted on - popularity. On September 12, he announced that the punishment of the convicts should be suspended.

As for the reaction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, on March 7, 2012, according to his press secretary Dmitry Peskov, he called the action "disgusting." On August 2, 2012, before the verdict was handed down, Putin suggested that if the girls "went to the Caucasus, entered and desecrated some shrine of Muslims, then we would not even have time to take them under guard." However, he added that "it is not necessary to strictly judge the participants for this", and expressed the hope that "they will draw some conclusions themselves." On October 7, 2012 (a few days before the cassation in the Moscow City Court), Putin noted that he did not influence the judicial system and did not seek the conviction of the girls:

“Contrary to my expectations, the case began to be promoted and brought to court, and the court closed up a couple of dollars for them ... I have nothing to do with it. They wanted it, they got it."

What did the participants do after prison

On December 23, 2013, two months before the end of their sentence (in March 2014), Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were released under an amnesty adopted for the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution.

After her release, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, together with Maria, created the Zone of Law movement to protect prisoners. Both girls participated in protests in support of the prisoners of the so-called "bog case". As the correspondent of Gazeta.Ru recalls, at the verdict of 12 defendants in this case, OMON tried to detain them in front of the building of the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow, but in the end the crowd surrounded the members of the punk band, and only Alekhin managed to be stuffed into the paddy wagon.

“After a relatively short time, Alyokhina had a conflict with Tolokonnikova, these are very different and strong people who are not easy together. In any case, the Pussy Riot project is now alive and certain actions are sometimes held within its framework, ”a source close to Alekhina and Tolokonnikova told Gazeta.ru.

According to him, both girls were able to benefit financially from their position. “Nadezhda, together with her husband Verzilov, actively performed in the West, where they have good connections even now.

Currently, an active campaign of left-wing radicals against Trump and his actions is unfolding in the United States. As far as I know, Tolokonnikova plans to take part in it, ”said the interlocutor of Gazeta.Ru.

He added that Alyokhina is more focused on the domestic market, including because she does not speak English very well, but nevertheless performs in Russia with punk concerts. Both girls are also actively collaborating with the online media "Mediazona".

Nadezhda Andreevna Tolokonnikova. She was born on November 7, 1989 in Norilsk. Russian musician, singer, member of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot, founder of the organization for the protection of the rights of prisoners "Zone of Rights" and the Internet media "Mediazona", a former member of the art group "Voina".

Father - Andrey Tolokonnikov, a doctor by profession, worked as an emergency doctor in Norilsk, later became a businessman.

Mother - Ekaterina Voronina, worked as a teacher at a music school.

The name for the daughter was chosen by the father, as he himself explained, he wanted the girl to become "The Hope of Dr. Tolokonnikov."

Nadezhda's parents broke up when she was 4 years old. Father went to Moscow, went into business. But her mother did not want to move to the capital. Nadia stayed with her mother, but she maintained relations with her father, often visited him in Moscow. As Andrey Tolokonnikov said, from an early age he prepared his daughter for admission to Moscow State University, took him to Sparrow Hills.

As a teenager, she became interested in philosophy and history.

A great influence on the formation of the character of Nadezhda was made by her paternal grandmother, Vera Ivanovna, who lives in Krasnoyarsk. Nadya's grandmother, according to the stories of people who know her, is a very principled and honest person, a convinced communist, and for the idea she was ready to go "into fire and into water." Nadia always said that she wanted to be like Vera Ivanovna. Revolutionary ideas, impulses and desires to reshape the world in a fair way - this is from Nadezhda from her grandmother.

From an early age, Nadezhda herself was distinguished by an expressive character and a peculiar look at the events surrounding her, she was freedom-loving and wayward, and did not want to obey.

As a child, she studied piano at a music school. In high school, she took part in cultural events organized in the city by the publishing house "New Literary Review" by Irina Prokhorova.

In Norilsk, she graduated from high school with a gold medal.

In 2007 she moved to Moscow and entered the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University.

While studying at Moscow State University, she began to take an active part in various events organized by art group "War". Being in her fifth month of pregnancy in 2008, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova took part in a scandalous sexual orgy that took place at the Biological Museum. K.A. Timiryazev. This action was timed to coincide with the presidential elections in Russia and, according to the organizers of this action, was supposed to become a kind of sarcastic parody of what is happening in the country.

After this action, the girl was even going to be expelled from Moscow State University, but they gave her the opportunity to finish her studies.

In 2010, the performance "Cockroach Court" became a high-profile action with her participation.

Also in the summer of 2010, Tolokonnikova took part in actions to protect the Khimki forest.

Since March 2011 - member of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot. The members of the group, explaining the name, noted that they combined the vulgar overtones of the English "pussy" and the rude, aggressive "riot". The idea of ​​creating an art project arose as a result of a discussion between artists on the theme of the punk-feminist movement Riot Grrrl. The official date of birth of the team is November 7, 2011 - the day the first video clip was published on the network.

The basis of the art project is made up of female artists, as well as actresses, journalists, poetesses, representatives of other professions. The project does not provide for a permanent staff. The participants of the movement act under pseudonyms, some of them are known: “Balaklava”, “Squirrel” (“Squirrel”), “Blondie”, “Vozhzha”, “Sparrow” (“Sparrow”), “Garadzha” (“Garadzha Matveyeva”) , "Cat", "Manko", "Chowder", "Seraphim", "Terminator", "Tyurya", "Puck", "Hat", "Schumacher".

On May 28, 2011, the day when the Day of the Border Guard is celebrated in the Russian Federation, Ekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova participated in a gay pride in defense of the civil rights of representatives of the LGBT community near the Alexander Garden and on Tverskaya Square near the Moscow City Hall, unauthorized by the Moscow City Hall.

Tolokonnikova participated in the Anti-Seliger Civil Forum in the Khimki Forest from 17 to 20 June 2011.

On December 10, 2011, Tolokonnikova spoke from the stage of the rally on Bolotnaya Square as a representative of the feminist and LGBT community. The activist urged "everyone to become a political leader and think for themselves."

In October 2011, Pussy Riot released the song "Free the pavement"- so began the first illegal tour of the group. The song was dedicated to the elections to the State Duma on December 4, 2011 and contained the words "Egyptian air is good for the lungs // Make Tahrir on Red Square // Spend a wild day among strong women // Look for scrap on the balcony, free the paving stones", anticipating the December rallies in Moscow".

On December 14, 2011, on the roof of special detention center No. 1 in Moscow, where protesters were kept during the December 5 rally against the results of the elections to the State Duma (including politicians Ilya Yashin and Alexei Navalny), Pussy Riot sang a song "Death to prison, freedom to protest". The song contains the lyrics: "Direct action is the future of humanity // LGBT, feminists, defend the fatherland // Death to prison, freedom to protest!".

On January 20, 2012, the song was performed on Red Square "Putin pissed"("Riot in Russia - Putin pissed"). The group sang the song at the Execution Ground. It was the largest action in terms of the number of participants: eight young women climbed the Lobnoye Mesto. Later, they were all detained by the Federal Security Service, two participants were subjected to an administrative fine.

Pussy Riot action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the criminal term of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova

On February 21, 2012, together with four other members of Pussy Riot, she performed an action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which the group called "Punk Prayer" - "Our Lady of the Virgin, drive Putin away!". The action was recorded on video, the distribution of which on the Internet led to the initiation of a criminal case.

On March 3, 2012, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were arrested on charges of hooliganism in connection with an action (which the group calls a "punk prayer") in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and on March 16, Yekaterina Samutsevich. The arrested women initially denied their participation in the Pussy Riot group and stated that they did not participate in the action in the temple, however, in the debate at the court, the defendants did not deny this.

On August 17, 2012, the court found Tolokonnikova guilty of “gross violation of public order, expressing clear disrespect for society, committed on the basis of religious hatred and enmity” and sentenced to two years in prison in a general regime colony.

During the debate and in the last word, the participants insisted that they did not intend to offend the feelings of believers, and that their actions were caused solely by political considerations.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova did not admit her guilt either at the trial or later, stating that the action in the church was pro-religious, not anti-religious.

All those arrested were charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and sentenced under the article “Hooliganism” (part 2 of article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) to two years in prison in a general regime colony. The guilty verdict was an unprecedented Russian event in recent years, which received an unprecedented public outcry both within the country and around the world.

On October 10, 2012, the Moscow City Court left the sentence of Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina unchanged, and Samutsevich replaced the sentence with a suspended sentence and released her in the courtroom, due to the fact that she practically did not participate in the “punk prayer” itself, since she was detained by guards on the salt immediately after the start of the action.

The international human rights organization Amnesty International declared all of them prisoners of conscience.

In August 2012, art critic Irina Kulik nominated Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich for the Kandinsky Prize in the Project of the Year nomination for an action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. In the long list of the award, which, according to the results of voting by experts, included 21 works, the Pussy Riot action did not get in, gaining a small number of points.

In 2012, Foreign Policy magazine included Tolokonnikova, along with Ekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alyokhina, among the 100 leading intellectuals in the world.

In 2012, in the Russian version of MAXIM magazine, Tolokonnikova took 18th place in the list of 100 sexiest women in Russia.

In the fall of 2012, John Lennon's widow announced that she was awarding members of the punk band Pussy Riot the LennonOno Peace Prize. This prize is awarded every two years to "fighters for peace and justice". The award was received by the daughter of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 4-year-old (at that time) Gera.

In December 2012, the French newspaper Le Figaro named Tolokonnikova "Woman of the Year". In the ranking of twenty people, Tolokonnikova was ahead of Michelle Obama, who took second place, and Meryl Streep took third place.

In March 2013, she took 72nd place in the list of "100 most influential women in Russia", compiled annually by the Ekho Moskvy radio station.

In September and October 2013, Tolokonnikova went on hunger strike twice. Through a common-law husband, she handed over an open letter in which she spoke about the unbearable working and living conditions in correctional colony No. 14 in Mordovia. In the letter, the convict, in particular, spoke about a 16-17 hour working day in a sewing workshop, about a monthly salary of 29 rubles. Tolokonnikova also indicated that a crime had been committed against her - the deputy head of the colony Kupriyanov threatened her with murder and physical violence.

On October 1, 2013, the department of the Federal Penitentiary Service for Mordovia reported that Tolokonnikova ended her nine-day hunger strike after promising to transfer her to another colony. In mid-November, Tolokonnikova was sent to the hospital of the Federal Penitentiary Service in the Krasnoyarsk Territory due to a complication of her health after a hunger strike, where she remained until the end of her term.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was released on December 23, 2013 under an amnesty, adopted by the State Duma on the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution, as convicted under the article "Hooliganism". At the same time, Maria Alyokhina was released. They called this step of the State Duma "a demonstrative amnesty before the Olympics" (2014 in Sochi).

On January 15, 2014, Pussy Riot was nominated for the NME Awards in the categories Hero of 2013 and Musical Moment of the Year (releasing the members), and was presented in the opposite category Villain of the Year.

In January 2014, Tolokonnikova's photograph was placed on the cover of The Times newspaper.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina announced after the release that they intended to work on protecting the rights of Russian prisoners. “I must provide this assistance. I will do my best to help the prisoners. Now I am connected with the penitentiary system by blood ties, and I will not back down. I will try to make it a little better, ”said Tolokonnikova.

On June 12, 2015, on the Day of Russia, she made an attempt to sew a Russian flag on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow, dressed in a prisoner's uniform, after which she was detained by the police.

She made a cameo appearance (in the role of herself) in the 3rd episode of the 3rd season of the American political drama series House of Cards. According to the plot, Tolokonnikova, Verzilov and Alyokhina, during an official dinner in Washington, hosted on the occasion of the visit of the Russian president to the United States, sharply criticize him.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in the series "House of Cards"

In February 2016, Pussy Riot's satirical video "Chaika" was released, in which Nadezhda Tolokonnikova appeared as a prosecutor (parodying the Prosecutor General of Russia Yu.Ya. Chaika).

Pussy Riot

On March 14, 2016, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova presented her book "Guide to the Revolution" at the international literary festival lit.Cologne in Cologne.

The growth of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova: 175 centimeters.

Personal life of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova:

She was married to a civil activist, ex-member of the War group. We met while studying at Moscow State University.

On March 4, 2008, the couple had a daughter, Hera Verzilova. The name of the girl (derived from Gertrud) was chosen by Verzilov. Hera lives with Peter's mother, Elena Vyacheslavovna. They have a nice apartment at the Water Stadium.

In the fall of 2018, it became known that Verzilov had another wife, Veronika Nikulshina.

Filmography of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova:

2015 - House of Cards (season 3) - cameo

Bibliography of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova:

2016 - Revolution Guide