After being an artist, activist, inmate, speaker and actor, Nadya Tolokonnikova is adding another title to her résumé: online columnist.
Ms. Tolokonnikova, who has been an outspoken and in-demand critic of the Russian government and an advocate for prisoners’ rights around the world, will write a biweekly column for Vice.com, starting on Thursday. In her posts, Ms. Tolokonnikova will cover Russian news and politics — especially events that are overlooked by that country’s state-run media — and offer her firsthand perspective of battling the administration of President Vladimir V. Putin.
“Any news organization would be hyped to have regular contributions from Pussy Riot,” Alex Miller, the global head of content for Vice, the Brooklyn-based media conglomerate, said in a statement. “They’ve been behind some of the most definitive moments of political and cultural cross-pollination of the 21st century.” The column will be translated into multiple languages for Vice’s outlets around the world.
Ms. Tolokonnikova, who served nearly two years in prison after a brief performance with fellow Pussy Riot members in a Moscow cathedral, was detained last week for setting up another protest act in Moscow. Her debut column, translated into English by Brendan Mulvihill, addresses this recent confrontation with the authorities.
“We were surrounded by three irritable female cops,” it begins, “and ordered to strip.” Ms. Tolokonnikova and a compatriot, Ekaterina Nenasheva, had appeared in a central square dressed in Russian prisoner uniforms and armed with a sewing machine, thread and needles, aiming to stitch a Russian flag. They were quickly taken to a police station, Ms. Tolokonnikova writes, where they were told they couldn’t sew in public.
“It’s hard to know what’s illegal in Russia — I served time for singing and dancing publicly,” she wrote, “and after our ‘punk prayer’ in the church, Parliament made it illegal to ‘insult the feelings of believers.’ Laws are passed quickly here, before you can say ‘blueberry pie.’ ”
Ms. Tolokonnikova said that she and Ms. Nenasheva finished sewing the flag in the police station and hung it up there before they were let go.
“We hope that in this very difficult time for activism, art and media in Russia, when our government is trying to alienate the country from the rest if the world, the collaboration between Pussy Riot and Vice will work towards moving Russia closer to the rest of the world,” Ms. Tolokonnikova said in a statement.