Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova Wants to Be Russian President After Putin
Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova says she wants to succeed Vladimir Putin as president of Russia the next time he could be replaced in 2036.
The eccentric idea is the latest of the Russian feminist protest punk collective's bids to overthrow the incumbent president, a political resistance they've held close for nearly a decade now. Known worldwide for frequently demonstrating their activism against Putin, Tolokonnikova and other Pussy Riot members are currently in hiding or awaiting sentencing after taking part in a recent protest in support of the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Watch the video down toward the bottom of this post.
Last week (Aug. 12), Vice News caught up with Tolokonnikova at an undisclosed location, where the Pussy Riot figurehead was working with a photographer to "make a poster for president of Russia of 2036, and I'm going to be the next president after Vladimir Putin."
Tolokonnikova knows her proposition is largely performative, explaining, "What I'm doing with my art, I'm thinking about the future. This idea about running for president in 2036 is just another attempt to just open up our imagination a little bit. For now, I'm not able to run for president because I'm a convicted criminal. Even though I already served my time in prison, I'm still not allowed to take part in any elections."
In 2012, Tolokonnikova was convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" and sentenced to two years in prison after Pussy Riot staged a protest performance at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Putin, who last came into office in 2012, has been overwhelmingly supported by Russian voters to continue his rule until 2036, as CNN reported.
For now, Tolokonnikova is continuing her dissent in exile and supporting the cause overall. "I feel like Navalny's figure is really important here," the Pussy Riot member adds, "because Navalny shows that sense of humor and also courage [are] two main instruments to fight Putin's regime and any autocrat's regime."
Earlier this year, Pussy Riot partnered with the similarly outspoken Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello on an electrifying song called "Weather Strike."