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Episode details

Radio 4,3 mins

Is the Pussy Riot scandal good for Putin?

Available for over a year

Reporter Lucy Ash looks at the power of the Russian Orthodox church and its relationship to the Russian political system in light of the Pussy Riot scandal. Early this year, three female members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were given prison sentences after they staged a protest against Vladimir Putin in a cathedral. Lucy Ash spoke to a St. Petersburg-based historian who says that the outcry against these sentences by liberals and the West plays into Putin's hands. Lucy also spoke to Kremlin loyalist and United Russia leader Vitaly Milonov who says that Pussy Riot have offended core Russian values.

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