 Four members of Pussy Riot were sentenced to 15 days in jail for participating in a dramatic on-field protest during the World Cup final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Sunday. The Russian punk rock band and arts collective claimed responsibility for the on-field protest during the World Cup 2018 final between France and Croatia. The group was launched into the international spotlight in 2012 when three of its original members were charged with hooliganism and sentenced to two years in prison for performing the anti-Putin protest song "Punk Prayer" at a Moscow cathedral. Ms Alyokhina and Ms Tolokonnikova served 16 months, while Ms Samutsevich was released and had her sentence suspended after seven months in prison.
– Four members of Pussy Riot who ran onto the field during the World Cup soccer final will spend 15 days in jail. Veronika Nikulshina, Olga Kuracheva, Olga Pakhtusova, and Petya Verzilov also are banned from attending sporting events for three years, reports ABC News. The four took advantage of the world spotlight and disrupted the game to protest Vladimir Putin's policies and to demand the release of political prisoners. Among the offenses that factored into the sentencing: The protesters wore police uniforms during the stunt. Meanwhile, the European Court of Human Rights awarded $43,500 to the group over the prison sentences members received for their now-famous protest performance at a church in 2012, reports the Moscow Times. “Domestic courts had failed to justify why it had been necessary to convict and sentence the applicants to terms of imprisonment,” the ECHR said in a release. Two members served 16 months in prison. The anti-Kremlin group formed in 2011 and has featured various members ever since, notes the BBC.