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The Birth of Pussy Riot: Six Early Songs

For our freedom and yours,

The line “For our freedom and yours,” (Za nashu i vashu svobodu) is a reference to the August 25, 1968, Red Square demonstration (Demonstratsiya 25 avgusta 1968 goda), where eight protesters sat peacefully at the Lobnoye Mesto and held a small Czechoslovakian flag and signs that read, among many other things, “For your freedom and ours.” The protesters were against the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the disruption of the Prague Spring that was committed by the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies on August 20-21, 1968. The eight protesters were severely mistreated by the Soviet state for their actions, for which they were beaten, arrested, and later put on trial in October of that year. Many of them were sent to Siberian penal colonies, while others were sent to psychiatric prisons. Thereafter, the phrase became popular amongst Soviet dissident movements. On August 24, 2008, there was another demonstration in Red Square that was protesting the punishment of the original 1968 one. Seven protesters at the Lobnoye Mesto unfurled a banner that read “For your freedom and ours,” before they and many other spectators were detained and interrogated by police, who tried to destroy all record of the incident happening and any cameras that documented it. Another re-creation featuring one of the original protesters, Natalya Gorbanevskaya, happened in 2013 with a separate one again occurring in 2018. Pussy Riot is therefore referencing the 1968 Red Square demonstration with both their lyrics and the location of their performance.

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“Putin’s Pissed Himself” (2012) Pussy Riot’s next song, Putin zassal, can be translated aptly as “Putin’s Pissed Himself.” This song is a stark criticism of the Russian president. Performed on January 20, 2012, over a month after “Death to Prison, Freedom to Protest,” the one and only performance of “Putin’s Pissed Himself” featured eight Pussy Riot members in total—the most for any of their performances—and was held on top of the famous Lobnoye Mesto on Red Square, Moscow.¹ Both the rise in participants and the chosen location reveals the group's increasingly bold and daring nature of their performances. Pussy Riot chose to perform such an inflammatory song at and on top of the Lobnoye Mesto strategically; the song was inspired by the 1968 Red Square Demonstration that took place at that exact spot, as well as the December 24, 2011 mass protests that took place against Putin and the recent State Duma election results.²

The performance’s location was illegal. Pussy Riot members had to climb over a locked gate and bypass guards to access the Lobnoye Mesto, which was closed to the public at the time.³ Due to this and a smoke bomb that set off mid performance, the members were eventually arrested and detained. They were later interrogated and pressured to reveal their actual identities, but multiple Pussy Riot members have stated that they revealed nothing about themselves other than their aliases. Two members later ended up being found guilty of a misdemeanor “under article 20.2 of the Administrative Code (violation of the rules for conducting rallies and pickets)” and were fined 500 rubles each—now around 6.50 USD, but in 2012 this was around 16.50 USD.⁴

There are additional reports of the performance’s spectators being arrested and detained for filming Pussy Riot’s performance on their devices; some even stated that the police erased all video evidence and/or destroyed their property before letting them go.⁵

Performance footage provided below, followed by lyrics and cultural commentary in annotation form:

Lyrics in Russian:	Lyrics in simplified ALA-LC style:	Lyrics in English:
К Кремлю идет восставшая колонна В ФСБшных кабинетах взрываются окна. Суки ссут за красными стенами Riot объявляют Аборт Системе! Атака на рассвете? Не стану возражать За нашу и вашу свободу хлыстом карать Мадонна во славе научит драться Феминистка Магдалина пошла на демонстрацию Бунт в России — харизма протеста Бунт в России — путин зассал Бунт в России — мы существуем Бунт в России — райот райот Выйди на улицу, Живи на Красной Покажи свободу Гражданской злости Недовольство культурой мужской истерии Дикий вождизм пожирает мозги Православная религия жесткого пениса Пациентам предлагается принять конформность Режим идет к цензуре сновидения Пришло время подрывного столкновения Стая сук сексистского режима Просит прощения у феминисткого клина. Бунт в России — харизма протеста Бунт в России — путин зассал Бунт в России — мы существуем Бунт в России — райот райот Выйди на улицу, Живи на Красной Покажи свободу Гражданской злости	K Kremliu idet vosstavshaia kolonna V FSBshnykh kabinetakh vzryvaiutsia okna. Suki ssut za krasnymi stenami Riot ob”iavliaiut Abort Sisteme! Ataka na rassvete? Ne stanu vozrazhat’ Za nashu i vashu svobodu khlystom karat’ Madonna vo slave nauchit drat’sia Feministka Magdalina poshla na demonstratsiiu Bunt v Rossii — kharizma protesta Bunt v Rossii — putin zassal Bunt v Rossii — my sushchestvuem Bunt v Rossii — raĭot raĭot Vyĭdi na ulitsu, Zhivi na Krasnoĭ Pokazhi svobodu Grazhdanskoĭ zlosti Nedovol’stvo kul’turoĭ muzhskoĭ isterii Dikiĭ vozhdizm pozhiraet mozgi Pravoslavnaia religiia zhestkogo penisa Patsientam predlagaetsia priniat’ konformnost’ Rezhim idet k tsenzure snovideniia Prishlo vremia podryvnogo stolknoveniia Staia suk seksistskogo rezhima Prosit proshcheniia u feministkogo klina. Bunt v Rossii — kharizma protesta Bunt v Rossii — putin zassal Bunt v Rossii — my sushchestvuem Bunt v Rossii — raĭot raĭot Vyĭdi na ulitsu, Zhivi na Krasnoĭ Pokazhi svobodu Grazhdanskoĭ zlosti	A column of insurgents marches on the Kremlin Shattering windows of FSB offices.⁶ The bitches are pissing themselves behind the red walls As Pussy Riot proclaims “Abort the System!” Charge at dawn? I don’t mind For our freedom and yours,⁷ I will punish them with a whip⁸ Madonna in Glory⁹ will teach us to fight The feminist Mary Magdalene herself was a protester Riot in Russia — the charisma of the protest Riot in Russia — Putin’s pissed himself Riot in Russia — we exist Riot in Russia — riot, riot Go out on the street, Live on Red Square Show them Civic rage unleashed We are discontent with a culture of male hysteria Where a savage cult-like leader devours brains Orthodoxy is a religion of the hard penis Its patients are invited to accept conformity This regime is going to censor dreams The time has come for an incendiary collision The sexist regime’s pack of bitches Will beg the feminist wedge for mercy.¹⁰ Riot in Russia — the charisma of the protest Riot in Russia — Putin’s pissed himself Riot in Russia — we exist Riot in Russia — riot, riot Go out on the street, Live on Red Square Show them Civic rage unleashed

“Pank-vystuplenie na Lobnom meste Krasnoĭ ploshchadi ‘Putin Zassal,’” Pussy Riot: Kak v krasnoĭ tiur’me, January 20, 2012, http://pussy-riot.info/blog/2012/1/20/putin-zassal.↵
Nathan Toohey, “Pussy Riot fined for Red Square performance,” Internet Archive’s copy of The Moscow Times, January 24, 2012, https://web.archive.org/web/20120511062907/http://themoscownews.com/local/20120124/189394688.html.↵
“Pank-vystuplenie na Lobnom meste Krasnoĭ ploshchadi ‘Putin Zassal.’”↵
Paul Routledge, Space Invaders: Radical Geographies of Protest (London: Pluto Press, 2017), 126.↵
“Pank-vystuplenie na Lobnom meste Krasnoĭ ploshchadi ‘Putin Zassal.’”↵
Ibid.↵
Vitaly Yaroshevsky, “Na Lobnom meste: Vosem’ chelovek v vos’moĭ mesiats 68-go goda,” Internet Archive’s copy of Novaya Gazeta, August 21, 2008, https://web.archive.org/web/20080904084029/http://www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2008/61/17.html.↵
“Na Krasnoĭ ploshchadi zaderzhali pank-feministok Pussy Riot,” BBC, January 20, 2012, https://www.bbc.com/russian/russia/2012/01/120120_pussy_riot_red_square.↵
David Herszenhorn, “In Russia, Madonna Defends a Band’s Anti-Putin Stunt,” The New York Times, August 7, 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/world/europe/madonna-defends-pussy-riot-at-moscow-concert.html.↵
Zuzanna Stanska, “El Lissitzky – Beat The Whites With The Red Wedge,” Daily Art Magazine, July 22, 2018, https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/beat-the-whites-with-the-red-wedge/.↵