The Birth of Pussy Riot: Six Early Songs

Blog Post for “Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Chase Putin Away”

“Today, on the Tuesday of Maslenitsa, we—Pussy Riot soloists Garadzha, Tyurya, Shumakher, Seraphima, and Kot1—invited all of the most devout friends of the group to a ‘Punk Prayer’ at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. . . 

‘Since peaceful demonstrations of one hundred thousand people do not give an immediate result, we will beg the Mother of God to drive Putin away as soon as possible before Easter,’ Seraphima told the rest of the team as we headed through the February morning frost to the Church.

Last Sunday, Seraphima returned from the cathedral and requested that all the other Pussy Riot members immediately learn the Byzantine znamennyi raspev. ‘Today, during matins, I realized for what and how I need to ask the Mother of God so that something will finally improve in our spiritually lacking country,’ Seraphima said. The words of the Punk prayer immediately came to the band’s mind: . . .”2 
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  1. Corey Flintoff, “In Russia, Punk-Rock Riot Girls Rage Against Putin,” NPR, February 8, 2012, https://www.npr.org/2012/02/08/146581790/in-russia-punk-rock-riot-girls-rage-against-putin.↵
  2. “Pank-moleben ‘Bogoroditsa, Putina Progoni’ v Хrame Хrista Spasitelia.” ↵

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