The cultural phenomenon of Pussy Riot merely existing is a sign of a (slowly but surely) changing Russia. The act of a group of women going into one of the most prominent and revered churches and singing about bringing down Putin is an act of dissident, following in the long history of Russian citizens protesting whatever the current regime was.
The title of the song Pussy Riot sang has a symbolic meaning. Called Mother of God, Drive Putin Away, the song circles back to the religious reverence that highlighted early in this class. The bringing back of religion, oppressed for so many years under Communism, is an interesting take. It seems especially powerful as a tool to fight against what Pussy Riot blatantly believes to be an oppressive regime under Putin. Pussy Riot invokes the name of the Virgin Mary in their claims that she would be a feminist and support them, urging Mary to get rid of Putin. They are simultaneously targeting the Church as a flawed institution, highlighting the worrying closeness of Church and state. This statement was particularly interesting, as only a few decades ago, the government was vehemently against the closeness of Church and state. Pussy Riot further drew on this relationship, comparing the KGB and the Church in the line “black robes, golden epaulettes.” This line is most striking, as the rise of the Church has encouraged many Russians to start going back to Russian Orthodox Christianity and caused many Russians to go up in arms about Pussy Riot. Although three of the five women from Pussy Riot who were involved in this song and the following Church performance were arrested, the protest goes to show that dissidence in Russia is just as apparent now as it was in the Communist period, under the Tzars, during the Mongol invasion, and even earlier.