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Russia Jails Pussy Riot’s World Cup Final Protesters

Four pitch-invaders imprisoned for 15 days.

Vladimir Putin is basking in two PR boosts at the moment, one gifted to him by Donald Trump, and another from the successful staging of the World Cup. At least the latter didn’t go entirely to plan. Four protesters from activist group/punk band Pussy Riot who invaded the pitch during Sunday’s World Cup final have been punished for interrupting the match, with each sent to jail for 15 days. Stewards hauled the four protesters off the pitch after they ran on in police-style uniforms, with one managing to high-five star French forward Kylian Mbappé. They were accused of violating the rules for spectators at sporting events and wearing police uniforms illegally. Pussy Riot said it was a protest against human-rights abuses in Russia. Alongside the jail time, the four are also banned from attending sports events for three years. They were named as Nika Nikulshina, Olga Kurachyova, Olga Pakhtusova, and Pyotr Verzilov. Verzilov is the husband of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. who was among the three Pussy Riot members imprisoned in 2012.