Pussy Riot's Powerful Message to Vladimir Putin | Nadya Tolokonnikova | TED

Standing Up

The speaker asks the audience to stand up.

• The speaker asks the audience to stand up.

• He adds "if you're able".

• The speaker thanks the audience.

Reduced to a Prisoner

The speaker describes his experience of being sentenced and reduced to a prisoner.

Sentenced

• The speaker wants the audience to feel how he felt when he was getting sentenced.

• He describes standing for four hours while handcuffed as the judge read his sentence.

• The speaker explains that he was in a small cage surrounded by 10 prison guards and a guard dog who barked at him because he smelled like prison.

Thoughts on Resistance

• As he stood there, handcuffed behind bars, the speaker wondered if one person could change the world.

• He questioned whether it was worth trying or if it would lead to failure.

• The speaker also wondered if he would be able to achieve his dreams or be inevitably smashed by the system.

Dreams of Moscow

The speaker talks about running away from home and dreaming of two things in life: being able to dream wildly and making utopian dreams come true.

Running Away from Home

• At 16 years old, the speaker ran away from home and went from Siberia to Moscow.

Dreams of Moscow

-The speaker knew that he wanted two things in life: being able to dream wildly and making utopian dreams come true.

• He knew that he needed to be in Moscow for that.

Surviving in Moscow

• The speaker was studying philosophy and stealing food and clothes to survive.

Arrested for Resisting Putin

The speaker talks about getting arrested for resisting one of the most dangerous dictators on planet Earth, Vladimir Putin.

• At 22 years old, the speaker got arrested for resisting Putin.

• On the day of his arrest, his daughter turned four.

• His crime was singing a song called "Virgin Mary, please get rid of Putin" with four other members of Pussy Riot at Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

• They did it in response to Putin's announcement that he wants to rule Russia pretty much indefinitely.

Resistance through Performance Art

The speaker talks about using performance art as a form of resistance against Putin's regime.

Dedication to Resistance

• After getting arrested, the speaker promised himself that he would dedicate his life to resistance.

Reasons for Resistance

-The speaker felt deep inside him that Putin equals death, medieval torture, knife in the back, stagnation and new Dark Ages for Russia.

Performance Art as Resistance

-The group used loud voices, bright ski masks, dresses, courage, commitment and performance art as forms of resistance.

-They performed in government buildings,squares and shopping malls without permits.

-Their job was to show people that resisting is indeed an option.

Breaking Sacred Rules

-The supreme, sacred, holy rule in Putin's Russia is to remain afraid.

-By breaking this rule, they disrupted the game as such.

The Power of Courage

In this section, the speaker reflects on her experience being imprisoned for speaking out against the government and how it led to the creation of Pussy Riot and other initiatives.

Imprisonment and Freedom

• The speaker questions whether they achieved what they wanted by speaking out.

• Despite being imprisoned, the speaker feels freer than those who are prosecuting them because they can speak their minds.

• The speaker believes that even in the darkest moments, their fight is not over.

• Two years after imprisonment, the speaker meets young Russians who were inspired by their fight.

Building Infrastructure for Resistance

• Over ten years, Pussy Riot builds infrastructure, tools, and networks for effective resistance.

• In 2014, Mediazona is started as a unique independent media outlet in Russia free of censorship.

• In 2022, seven million dollars is raised in two days for Ukraine.

• Close to one million dollars is raised for Planned Parenthood to support reproductive rights in the United States.

• Unicorn DAO is started to collect art made by women and non-binary people.

Reflection on Experience

• The speaker acknowledges that much work remains to be done as friends and family continue to face violence back home.

• In March 2023, the speaker was put on Russia's most-wanted list facing new criminal charges for their art.

• The reason why they became a threat to the system was because courage is contagious.

• Speaking truth can cause incalculable transformations in social consciousness.

• The speaker encourages others to take a leap of faith and use their power to find truth.

• Courage is an ability to act in the face of fear, and some people have no choice but to live courageously for survival.

Message to Vladimir Putin

• The speaker sends a message directly to Vladimir Putin, stating that he must be defeated because he is dead inside.

• As a wanted criminal herself, the speaker believes that Putin became intimidated by Ukraine choosing freedom and democracy.

Fear and Hope

In this section, the speaker talks about Ukraine's struggle against Russia and how the world is on Ukraine's side. The speaker also mentions a friend who was sentenced to 25 years in jail for publicly condemning the war in Ukraine.

The World is with Ukraine

• The speaker says that the person they are addressing is afraid because they have lost their spirit.

• The world is on Ukraine's side and with the brave people of Ukraine.

• When praying, know that "she" (likely referring to a higher power or justice) is on the side of truth.

Crimes Against Humanity

• The audience applauds as the speaker says that "she" will not forgive crimes against humanity.

• The speaker mentions their friend Vladimir Kara-Murza being sentenced to 25 years in jail for publicly condemning the war in Ukraine and Putin's regime.

Words of Passion

• Vladimir Kara-Murza said in his closing statement that he knows darkness will dissipate eventually.

• The speaker finishes their speech with words from their 22-year-old self, saying passion, openness, and naivete are superior to hypocrisy, cunning, and contrived decency that conceals crimes.

• In Russian: "Open all doors, take off the epaulettes, feel the smell of freedom with us."

Overall, this section focuses on hope for Ukraine despite its struggles against Russia. It also highlights crimes against humanity committed by those in power.