He reportedly fell ill after a court hearing on Tuesday for fellow Pussy Riot activist Veronika Nikulshina. This article is over 4 months old 
 
 Pyotr Verzilov, who invaded pitch in World Cup, ‘lost sight and speech’ before falling ill 
 
 Pussy Riot activist in hospital after being poisoned, say group 
 
 A member of the Russian protest group Pussy Riot who ran on to the pitch during the World Cup final is in intensive care in hospital after losing his vision and being unable to walk. Fellow members of the group say they believe Pyotr Verzilov was poisoned. Mr Verzilov was part of the Voina performance art group with Ms Tolokonnikova before it split in 2009 and then acted as spokesperson for Pussy Riot during the 2012 trial.
– Pyotr Verzilov, an activist long associated with protest group Pussy Riot, is in intensive care and may have been poisoned, members say. Verzilov, ex-husband of Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, was one of four activists who stormed the pitch in police uniforms during the World Cup in July before issuing a list of demands, the BBC reports. "His life is in danger. We think that he was poisoned," Pussy Riot tweeted Wednesday, describing Verzilov as "our friend, brother, comrade." Verzilov became ill after a Tuesday court hearing for fellow Pussy Riot activist Veronika Nikulshina, members say. After the hearing, "he got worse exponentially," Nikulshina told Russian news outlet Meduza, per the Guardian. "First his sight, then his ability to speak, then even his ability to walk." According to Meduza, Verzilov is in the toxicology department of a Moscow hospital, and authorities have not allowed his mother to visit him. Verzilov and three female Pussy Riot members spent 15 days in jail for the pitch invasion, which they described as a protest against police brutality. Verzilov is the publisher of Mediazona, which was founded by Tolokonnikova in 2014 and reports on Russia's law enforcement and penal system.