Russian feminist punk-collective Pussy Riot shot into the news when they were arrested following a protest taking place in a cathedral.

With such big name supporters as Sting, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Franz Ferdinand, they’ve had no shortage of media attention and have even been hailed as the force that Russia needs to take down Vladimir Putin – the Russian president that some are calling a dictator.

 

But where did the controversy start? In September 2011, actually, when Pussy Riot formed as a reaction to the news that Putin was going to run for president – again. Still, the band managed to fly (mostly) under the radar until January, when their first arrest happened after the band played ‘Revolt In Russia’ at the famous Red Square.

 

As Pussy Riot is a collective, there are ten members of the band – possibly more. They all wear skimpy dresses, brightly coloured tights and balaclavas for anonymity. Pussy Riot could be made up of anyone, and most of the members keep their involvement a secret even from their own family.

 

Things really kicked off, however, in February when Pussy Riot performed their now infamous protest at the Christ the Saviour cathedral in Moscow. The band entered the cathedral with a film team and went straight for the altar to perform their already controversial song ‘Holy Shit’, as a condemnation of the Russian Orthodox church's close ties to Putin. They stood on the steps of the pulpit – where only men can stand – and jumped up and down as they launched into the opening bars of the song. Shortly after, security guards kicked them out. The police came, and didn’t even open a case. But then the video went viral on YouTube.

Watch: footage of the Pussy Riot protest at the cathedral

 

The growing popularity of the YouTube video meant that soon a warrant went out for the women’s arrest due to charges of ‘hooliganism.’ But when Nadezhda Tolokonnikova , Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich– or Nadia, Masha and Katya, as they're known – were arrested, they were thrown straight into jail. Imprisonment without trial isn’t usual in Russia and neither is the threat of seven years in prison for a non-violent crime – particularly as Nadia and Masha both have young children.

 

Then, on 4 July, the band members were told that they would have to finish preparing their defence by 9 July. The band protested, saying that two working days just was not enough time to prepare a trial defence, and then on 21 July the women’s pre-trial detention was extended to another six months.

 

The support for Pussy Riot has only grown since then. Franz Ferdinand, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sting have all spoken out in defence of the women, and recently a Russian artist named Petr Pavlensky even sewed his mouth shut in protest. 

 

The trial starts today and will be live-streamed over the Internet. One of the band’s lawyers, Nikolai Polozov says that it's a move designed to give the appearance of transparency but will actually have the reverse effect, allowing them to exclude press from the very small courtroom, and at contentious moments to simply “lose the feed.”

 

All the women are pleading not guilty. This is a landmark moment for Russia, and the outcome will have a massive effect – whatever the result.