Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, one of the founders of the feminist punk band ‘Pussy Riot,’ admitted on Friday that she helped funds that were raised for humanitarian purposes to find their way to Ukrainian troops.
Earlier in the week, the notorious Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus published two recorded conversations with Tolokonnikova, in which they posed as former Ukrainian Minister of Culture Alexander Tkachenko and President Vladimir Zelensky, respectively.
According to the recordings, the ‘Rioter’ spoke of sending money to the Ukrainian military, tricking American artist Shepard Fairey into making pro-Ukrainian art, plotting to steal Russian cryptocurrency on behalf of Kiev, and hoping to renounce her Russian citizenship.
“I told the Ukrainian foundation that you can publicly declare that all the money will go to humanitarian needs, but in reality spend it however you want,” she said at one point in the conversation.
On Wednesday, Tolokonnikova responded with a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter): “Mood: Burn my Russian passport and send money to the Ukrainian Army.”
She followed up with a lengthier post on Friday, confirming that some of the money she raised in February 2022 went to the Ukrainian military – and that she'd advocated this herself – but insisted that the group that did so was “a democratic organization where people vote what to do.”
The final decision, she said, was to send money to the Come Back Alive foundation – for medical kits, cars and body armor – the official ethereum account of Ukraine; the Happy Paw fund to help animals; and the Outright International fund to help LBTQ soldiers.
She also admitted to helping Zelensky’s wife fundraise “for humanitarian needs” and to using her own money – from the sales of ‘Putin’s Ashes’ artwork – to fund a Ukrainian unit fighting near Bakhmut (Artyomovsk) in February this year. According to Vovan and Lexus, her ex-husband Pyotr Verzilov was fighting in the unit at the time.
Tolokonnikova insisted that the crypto theft scheme didn’t actually exist but said it was a “cool idea” and that she would be willing to work with whoever wanted to help make it happen. She added she would “gladly renounce Russian citizenship and become a stateless person” but can’t do so because she is currently wanted in Russia on criminal charges. Earlier this week, a Moscow court issued a warrant for her arrest on charges of insulting religious believers in social media posts.
“There is nothing more sacred and important for me now than the support of Ukraine,” she concluded her post on X. “Glory to Ukraine!”
Tolokonnikova is one of the founding members of ‘Pussy Riot,’ advertised as a “feminist punk band.” The group gained global notoriety – and US government support – by staging an expletive-laden “punk mass” at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior in 2012.
The stunt also earned Tolokonnikova and two others a two-year prison sentence for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.” Her sentence was commuted in 2013. At some point she moved to the US, and is believed to currently reside in Los Angeles.