Join Maria Alyokhina of Pussy Riot for a conversation on resistance and activism.
A day after Pussy Riot’s performance RIOT DAYS, we host Maria “Masha” Alyokhina for a conversation. Alyokhina is a Russian activist, author, and a member of Pussy Riot. She was released in 2014 after spending two years in a Russian penal colony. While Russia prepared for the Sochi Winter Olympics and invaded Crimea, Alyokhina worked to warn the world about the dangers of authoritarianism. With her book Riot Days (2017), she passionately and meticulously documented her arrest, trial, and imprisonment. Her latest book, Political Girl (2025), explores life after the start of the large-scale war against Ukraine. Despite the Russian opposition being silenced, Alyokhina and her friends continue to resist. She battles increasingly absurd cycles of detention and house arrest until a new prison sentence in May 2022 prompts her to flee Russia, disguised as a food delivery driver. A conversation about unshakable courage in standing up for the truth.