Women's Political Activism in contemporary Russia: some reflections from the online sphere

Abstract

Women’s political activism in Russia has come under renewed focus as a result of the high profile ‘Punk Prayer’ protest against the politics of the third Putin Presidency performed in Christ the Saviour’s Cathedral in Moscow in February 2012 by the self-proclaimed radical feminist collective ‘Pussy Riot’. While this protest gained widespread international attention as an example of human rights activism, until the recent activism against the violations of LGBTQ citizens rights in Russia, there has been little in-depth discussion of the wider gender politics that shape the context in which women can engage politically in Russia