Pyotr Verzilov,&nbsp;an activist linked to the punk&nbsp;band and art collective Pussy Riot, has been sentenced to eight-and-half years in prison by a Russian court on Friday (Nov 3).&nbsp;Verzilov was sentenced "in absentia" for breaching Russia's strict censorship laws for posts related to its invasion of Ukraine.

The 36-year-old has not been living in Russia since 2020. The Russian court said Verzilov's social media posts alleging Russian atrocities in Bucha, a city in Ukraine, was "false information". According to a law Russia introduced in the initial days of its invasion of Ukraine, this is a criminal offence.

Russia has cracked down on dissent over years and has sent many high-profile critics of President Vladimir Putin to jail. This has not stopped after the Ukraine war.

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Verzilov has reportedly told the Russian media at the beginning of the conflict that he travelled to Ukraine to make a documentary, but is now fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.

The case in which Verzilov has been sentenced is based on his videos on social media in which dead civilians were seen lined up in body bags in Bucha. Verzilov compared Russian soldiers to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

When Ukrainian forces retook the city last March after a month-long occupation by Russian forces, they found more than 450 bodies.

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Bucha is a city on the outskirts of Kyiv. In December last year, the United Nations said that at least 73 civilians in the city were killed by Russian troops. The UN added that 57 among them were "summarily executed". The agency is still investigating more than 100 more alleged killings by Russian troops.&nbsp;Ukraine and the G7 countries have called Russian action a "massacre".

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Russia has denied these accusations repeatedly and has claimed that images of the dead citizens were "staged."

Pyotr Verzilov is a member of Pussy Riot, which is a Russian Protest Punk band and also an art collective. 
 
The group gained fame and even notoriety when three members were arrested when they staged a protest in an Orthodox Church in Moscow. Hooliganism charges were slapped against them.

(With inputs from agencies)

Pyotr Verzilov, an activist linked to the punk band and art collective Pussy Riot, has been sentenced to eight-and-half years in prison by a Russian court on Friday (Nov 3).

Pyotr Verzilov, an activist linked to the punk band and art collective Pussy Riot, has been sentenced to eight-and-half years in prison by a Russian court on Friday (Nov 3). Verzilov was sentenced "in absentia" for breaching Russia's strict censorship laws for posts related to its invasion of Ukraine. The 36-year-old has not been living in Russia since 2020. The Russian court said Verzilov's social media posts alleging Russian atrocities in Bucha, a city in Ukraine, was "false information". According to a law Russia introduced in the initial days of its invasion of Ukraine, this is a criminal offence. Russia has cracked down on dissent over years and has sent many high-profile critics of President Vladimir Putin to jail. This has not stopped after the Ukraine war. Watch | US top officials to visit India: Israel war & Russia-Ukraine war on agenda × Verzilov has reportedly told the Russian media at the beginning of the conflict that he travelled to Ukraine to make a documentary, but is now fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. The case in which Verzilov has been sentenced is based on his videos on social media in which dead civilians were seen lined up in body bags in Bucha. Verzilov compared Russian soldiers to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. When Ukrainian forces retook the city last March after a month-long occupation by Russian forces, they found more than 450 bodies. Also Read | Germany bats for Ukraine's EU membership, says formal talks could get greenlit next month Bucha is a city on the outskirts of Kyiv. In December last year, the United Nations said that at least 73 civilians in the city were killed by Russian troops. The UN added that 57 among them were "summarily executed". The agency is still investigating more than 100 more alleged killings by Russian troops. Ukraine and the G7 countries have called Russian action a "massacre". Also Read | US support for Kyiv waning? Most Americans in a recent survey feel Ukraine war is at stalemate Russia has denied these accusations repeatedly and has claimed that images of the dead citizens were "staged." Pyotr Verzilov is a member of Pussy Riot, which is a Russian Protest Punk band and also an art collective. The group gained fame and even notoriety when three members were arrested when they staged a protest in an Orthodox Church in Moscow. Hooliganism charges were slapped against them. (With inputs from agencies)

Russia: Pussy Riot band activist sentenced in absentia over Bucha claims

Two members of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pussy-riot-activist-in-berlin-hospital-after-murder-bid-166005">Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot</a> were kicked off a plane at Barcelona airport because they were drunk, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

Maria Alekhina and Kyril Masheka were on board a flight bound for Milan on Tuesday afternoon but were so drunk that the pilot called the police.

"The two were in an advanced state of drunkenness and the pilot decided to call police," a spokesman for the Civil Guard police said.

"Officers asked them to leave the plane, which they did without causing any problems," he added.

The group, famed for their protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been touring Spain and were due to perform in Milan on Wednesday night.

The anarchist collective -- often decked out in neon balaclavas and tights -- has made its name with politically-charged performances, lambasting everything from the Russian church to the persecution of the country's gay community.

In August 2012, Alekhina and two other Pussy Riot members were sentenced to two years in a prison colony for "hooliganism and religious hatred" for performing a song protesting against Putin in a central Moscow church.

Alekhina and another member, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, spent nearly two years in a prison colony.

Two members of Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot were kicked off a plane at Barcelona airport because they were drunk, a police spokesman said on Wednesday. Maria Alekhina and Kyril Masheka were on board a flight bound for Milan on Tuesday afternoon but were so drunk that the pilot called the police.

Two members of Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot were kicked off a plane at Barcelona airport because they were drunk, a police spokesman said on Wednesday. Maria Alekhina and Kyril Masheka were on board a flight bound for Milan on Tuesday afternoon but were so drunk that the pilot called the police. "The two were in an advanced state of drunkenness and the pilot decided to call police," a spokesman for the Civil Guard police said. "Officers asked them to leave the plane, which they did without causing any problems," he added. The group, famed for their protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been touring Spain and were due to perform in Milan on Wednesday night. The anarchist collective -- often decked out in neon balaclavas and tights -- has made its name with politically-charged performances, lambasting everything from the Russian church to the persecution of the country's gay community. In August 2012, Alekhina and two other Pussy Riot members were sentenced to two years in a prison colony for "hooliganism and religious hatred" for performing a song protesting against Putin in a central Moscow church. Alekhina and another member, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, spent nearly two years in a prison colony.

Two Pussy Riot members kicked off plane in Spain; they were drunk

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Russia: Pussy Riot band activist sentenced in absentia over Bucha claims

Two Pussy Riot members kicked off plane in Spain; they were drunk