Nadezhda Andreyevna "Nadya" Tolokonnikova (; born November 7, 1989) is a Russian musician, conceptual artist, and political activist. She is a founding member of the feminist group Pussy Riot, and has a history of political activism with the street art group Voina.
On August 17, 2012, she was arrested for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" after a performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow and was ultimately sentenced to two years' imprisonment. On December 23, 2013, she was released early alongside fellow Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina under a newly passed amnesty bill dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Russian constitution. While jailed, Tolokonnikova was recognized as a political prisoner by the Russian human rights group Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners. Amnesty International named her a prisoner of conscience due to "the severity of the response of the Russian authorities".
Russia's Ministry of Justice added Tolokonnikova to its list of "foreign agents" in 2021, and to their international wanted list in 2023.
Currently she lives outside Russia, but does not disclose where for safety reasons.
Early life and education
Tolokonnikova was born on November 7, 1989, in the industrial city of Norilsk, Russia, to parents Andrey Stepanovich Tolokonnikov and Yekaterina Voronina. Her parents divorced when she was five years old. In her late school years, she was active in amateur modern literature and art projects, organized by the Novoye Literaturnoye Obozreniye. In 2007, at age 17, Tolokonnikova moved to Moscow, and enrolled in the philosophy department of the Moscow State University.
Art collectives Early activism and Voina (2007–2011) Tolokonnikova and Pyotr Verzilov joined the Voina art collective in 2007 and participated in several of their provocative art performances. In February 2008, they were involved in the "Fuck for the heir Puppy Bear!" performance in which couples were filmed engaging in sexual acts in the Timiryazev State Biology Museum in Moscow. The performance was said to be intended as a kind of satire of then President Dmitry Medvedev's call for increased reproduction. She was in the late stages of pregnancy at the time.
On March 3, 2008, she was detained by police at a dissenters march in Moscow. Tolokonnikova was among the Voina members who disrupted a trial for the director of the Andrei Sakharov Center in 2009. But later, according to the "Rossiyskaya Gazeta", together with Pyotr Verzilov were expelled from Voina "for provocation and surrender of activists of the group to the police".
She also took part in a series of actions Operation Kiss Garbage, (, roughly translated as "Kiss a pig") from January through March 2011. This project comprised female members' kissing policewomen in Moscow metro stations and on the streets.
Pussy Riot (2011–present)
Formation and early actions Tolokonnikova created Pussy Riot in 2011. As described by journalist Masha Gessen, the group began as "a fictional band, invented for the finale of a slide-show presentation" at a September 2011 conference for opposition groups. Tolokonnikova had recently immersed herself in feminist and queer theory and decided to use her opportunity to speak at the conference to "compensate for Russia's lack of a feminist movement, a body of social theory, or a Riot Grrrl legacy." She ended her presentation by playing a noisy recording she had made with ex-Voina comrade Yekaterina Samutsevich: shouted lyrics over a backing track, which became Pussy Riot's first song "Kill the Sexist."
As Gessen has written, "Pussy Riot is not a band. Pussy Riot is a precise weapon, aimed directly at Putin." The group emerged from the Russian activist and art scene, with Tolokonnikova bringing her experience from Voina to the new collective. Pussy Riot's early actions focused on provocative political performances in public spaces, using punk music and performance art to critique the Russian government and its relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Punk Prayer – Cathedral of Christ the Savior performance (2012) On February 21, 2012, Tolokonnikova and other members of Pussy Riot entered the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and danced on the altar, asking Mother Mary to become a feminist, and to rid Russia of Putin. A criminal case was opened on February 26 against Tolokonnikova and two other members who had participated. The "Punk Prayer" action was called one of the greatest works of art of the 21st Century by the Guardian.
Arrest, trial, and imprisonment
On March 3, Tolokonnikova and Pussy Riot co-member Maria Alyokhina were identified by the Russian authorities. They were arrested on March 4 after being accused of hooliganism. They first denied being members of the group and started a hunger strike in protest against being held in jail away from their young children. They were held without bail and were formally charged on June 4 with the indictment running to 2,800 pages. While there was speculation that Canadian authorities might attempt to intervene because Tolokonnikova is a Canadian permanent resident, such intervention did not occur. The trial of the Pussy Riot members started on July 30, 2012, and ended in August 2012 with a verdict. On August 17, 2012, Tolokonnikova, together with co-members Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and sentenced to two years of imprisonment.
Tolokonnikova was serving her two-year sentence in the IK-14 women's penal colony near the settlement of Partsa (), Republic of Mordovia. On September 23, 2013, she went on hunger strike over prison conditions as well as alleged threats against her life made by prison staff.Jailed Pussy Riot Member Starts Hunger Strike In Russia . September 23, 2013, by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Her letter about the conditions of the women in the penal colony asserted that the women have no rights, that the prisoners must work 16–17 hours and sleep 3–4 hours a day, and that they have a day off every 8th week. Further, she claimed that when prisoners complain they are punished, and that when they complain about the treatment of other prisoners they are punished even more severely. Claiming that collective punishment is frequent, she also stated that the prisoners are sometimes beaten with a particular focus on hitting the kidneys. Another asserted punishment consists of keeping a prisoner outdoors in the cold without sufficient clothing. Most of what she reported has been affirmed by other sources.Solopov, Maxim (September 27, 2013) "Nothing personal, just business": Human Rights Council Confirms Tolokonnikova's Claims . Gazeta.Ru.Tolokonnikova's report on abuse in colony partly confirmed . ITAR-TASS September 30, 2013.Rights in Russia: Member of Human Rights Council says Tolokonnikova's complaints based on facts . Hro.rightsinrussia.info (September 26, 2013). Retrieved on December 26, 2013.
While imprisoned, she exchanged letters with filmmaker, philosopher, and cultural critic Slavoj Žižek discussing democracy and her activism. Their correspondence was arranged by the French philosopher Michel Eltchaninoff, and their 11 letters were compiled into a short book, Comradely Greetings: The Prison Letters of Nadya and Slavoj, published by Verso Books in 2014.
In late September 2013, Tolokonnikova was hospitalised after going without food for a week.Pussy Riot inmate claims Russian prison took away water . September 25, 2013, by Agence France-Presse. The Raw Story.Tolokonnikova Calls 'Safe Cell' Solitary Confinement . September 25, 2013, by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.Hunter, Stuart (September 27, 2013) Pussy Riot Member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Transferred To Prison Hospital On 5th Day Of Hunger Strike . Huffington Post. She was treated in the prison's medical ward; authorities did not release more specific details.Russia moves Pussy Riot inmate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova to medical unit . September 28, 2013, by AFP. Herald Sun.Mills, Laura (October 1, 2013) Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Jailed Pussy Riot Member, Ends Hunger Strike . Huffington PostBlack, Phil (October 3, 2013) Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, jailed Pussy Riot member, halts hunger strike . CNN. On October 21, 2013, she was transferred to another prison; her whereabouts remained unknown for several weeks. On November 5, 2013, it was reported that Tolokonnikova had been transferred to IK-50, a prison located near Nizhny Ingash, approximately 300 kilometres from Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Pussy Riot Member, 'Transferred To Siberia' . Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved on December 26, 2013. On November 15, she was again able to communicate with her husband through a video call from the prison hospital.Oliphant, Roland. (November 15, 2013) Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova 'may serve rest of jail term in hospital' . Telegraph. Retrieved on December 26, 2013.
Release and later global activism On the afternoon of December 23, 2013, Tolokonnikova was released from a prison hospital in Krasnoyarsk, where she was being treated for an unspecified illness. According to Yelena Pimonenko, senior prosecutor assistant of the Krasnoyarsk Krai, Tolokonnikova was released because the article "hooliganism" of the Russian Criminal Code fell under the newly introduced amnesty bill. Putin's amnesty was seen by the freed prisoners and numerous critics as a propaganda stuntHerszenhorn, David M. (December 23, 2013) Released Punk Rockers Keep Up Criticism of Putin . New York Times. as Russia prepared to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in February.Nadya is free. All imprisoned Pussy Riot members have now been released . Voiceproject.org (November 30, 2013). Retrieved on December 26, 2013.
About her release, Tolokonnikova said: "Releasing people just a few months before their term expires is a cosmetic measure ... that includes the case of Khodorkovsky, who didn't have much time left on his prison term. This is ridiculous. While Putin refuses to release those people who really needed it. It is a disgusting and cynical act",Pussy Riot pair slam Putin after early release from jail , Euronews (December 24, 2013) and urged countries to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics. She and Alyokhina said they would form a human rights movement for prison reforms. On March 6, 2014, Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina were assaulted and injured at a fast food outlet by local youths in Nizhny Novgorod. After their release, Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina founded a penal and judicial-themed media outlet MediaZona.
In February 2014, Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were detained in Sochi by the Adler Police in connection with an alleged hotel theft. They were released without charge. On February 19, footage surfaced showing Tolokonnikova and the other Pussy Riot members being attacked with nagaikas by Cossacks, who were helping in patrolling Sochi during the Winter Olympics.Pussy Riot whipped at Sochi Games by Cossacks . February 19, 2014. BBC News.
In 2022, Tolokonnikova met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss freedom of press worldwide, and in particular the future of independent media in Russia, such as Mediazona. Maria Zakharova, Spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, reacted to this meeting on her official Telegram channel.
Ongoing criminal cases (2023–present) In late March 2023, the Russian Interior Ministry put Tolokonnikova on their wanted list and opened an investigation against her for allegedly having insulted religious feelings of believers."Russia Places Pussy Riot Co-Founder Nadya Tolokonnikova on Wanted List", Moscow Times, March 29, 2023"Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova Is Placed on Russia's Most Wanted List", Variety, March 29, 2023 On November 21, 2023, her arrest was ordered in absentia by a Moscow court."Russia Arrests Pussy Riot Co-Founder Tolokonnikova in Absentia", Moscow Times, November 21, 2023
Visual and performance art