WHEN she was a girl Taso Pletner doubted she would ever venture outside of Russia – now she’s unsure when or if she’ll be able to return.
She’s currently in Scotland with three other members of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot.
After a successful Summerhall session in Edinburgh, the protest group is travelling to Glasgow on Saturday to headline The Great Western festival as part of their Riot Days tour to help raise money for a Ukrainian hospital.
Pletner, an actor and teacher, was accompanied by fellow Pussy Riot musician Diana Burkot. They spoke to The National from their hotel in Edinburgh – a usual site for the pair who haven't been home in nearly a year.
While Burkot is a founding member of the group, Pletner joined just two years ago, having been inspired by the art collective during their political protests in the early 2010s.
Those demonstrations brought them global coverage and endorsements from musical legends such as Paul McCartney and Madonna.
But it also brought with it a violent response, imprisonment and alienation from their families. In 2012, group member Maria Alyokhina was sentenced to two years in prison for “hooliganism” in the country. Others are too scared to go back.
The group sounded the alarm on Vladimir Putin at a time when much of the internet was still sharing memes of the Russian president riding a horse half-naked. Their warnings then were stark – but the situation in Russia now is even more dire.
“Russia is in a worse place for sure because in those times we had more freedom," Burkot said. "We had some kind of freedom of speech, independent media, activism and independent political parties.
“Now we have nothing because so much independent media is closed and politicians are in jail, like Alexei Navalny, and some have died. So it’s much worse.
Pussy Riot at Summerhall. Total fkn rollercoaster. We need a revolution and these women could lead it. pic.twitter.com/wbxAGtNz5t
— Craig Smith (@Smicht) November 8, 2022
“We believe it’s only one step from democracy to a totalitarian regime and Russia is a good example of that.
“We feel we all need to speak up about this because we all live on one Earth, one planet.”
Seeing Russian police clamp down on anti-war protesters put 25-year-old Pletner in a “terrible emotional state”.
“It’s madness," she said. "It’s crazy right now for activists in Moscow and Russia in general.
“We have new criminal cases everyday and Russian people are against this war and are not afraid to speak out but we have new laws that say if you call war war you can be sent to jail.
“We feel we have some privilege because we are out of Russia. We are safe here in the UK.
“Protest was always dangerous in Russia but it’s more dangerous now. It’s not just professional activists, it’s ordinary [people] who are in danger.”
Burkot agreed, adding: “If we return to Russia it’s a straight road to jail but outside of Russia we can say and do more – even small things.”
The pair, along with most of Pussy Riot, have moved out of Russia – with the invasion of Ukraine being the final straw for many. It wasn’t an easy trip though, and Pletner had never been outside her home country before.
She said: “We stay nowhere. We’ve lost our family, our career, our professions. We don’t have a home right now.
“I lived all my life in Russia. I never thought I was someone who would go outside Russia. It’s very important for me to be in Russia.
“I hope I can go back to Russia to my family, to my cats and to my students.”
“It’s our country and we believe in freedom for Russia,” Burkot added.
For now though, the group’s focus remains firmly on supporting Ukraine.
Pussy Riot at Summerhall. Total fkn rollercoaster. We need a revolution and these women could lead it. pic.twitter.com/wbxAGtNz5t
— Craig Smith (@Smicht) November 8, 2022
Burkot said: “Our focus must be on Ukrainian people because now we are safe and many of our friends are not safe. We can’t forget about war. People are dying everyday. Children are dying everyday. Please don’t be silent. It’s not so far away.”
Pletner hasn’t seen her family since last winter while it’s been eight months for Burkot. The two women laugh as Burkot recalls the last phonecall she had with her dad.
The drummer said: “My father is from Ukraine. All his family are there and when he was a teenager he went to Russia to study.
“He’s been in Russia for 40 years and he believes in this shitty propaganda and supports Putin’s regime. When we last had a conversation he told me I am fascist and am on the wrong side.
“But this isn’t just my family drama – it’s a regular situation in Russia now.”
Pletner said there is a “huge propaganda machine” in Russia that makes it hard for those inside the country to access accurate and impartial news.
She said: “If you are a simple man who works very hard for a very small amount of money, and you come home very late, exhausted and you watch TV you want to believe this is a great country.”
Burkot added: “If you’re working class you have no time and no energy and it’s really easy to believe you are a special people.”
Burkot said there was a belief among many in the country that God believed Russians were special and those who do not agree would “burn in hell”.
But the two women still have hope that one day they will be able to remove their balaclavas and return home without fear of persecution. They're just not sure when that day will come.
