Mariya Alyokhina

Biography

Masha Alyokhina, born June 6, 1988, in Moscow, Russia, is a Russian political activist and member of the anti-Putinist punk rock group Pussy Riot. Raised by her mother, who works as a programmer, Alyokhina grew disillusioned with the Russian education system and found solace in journalism at Moscow's Institute of Journalism and Creative Writing. Her activism led to arrest and conviction in 2012 for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" during a provocative performance.