Pussy Riot is a musical performance art collective based in Moscow, Russia. Founded in August 2011, the group staged unauthorized provocative 'guerrilla' performances in public places wearing balaclavas. In 2012, three of the group's members, Nadezhda "Nadya" Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Maria Alyokhina, were charged with "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" after staging a protest performance inside the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. The three were released from prison in December 2013. In February 2014, an anonymous statement made by alleged members of Pussy Riot claimed that Maria and Nadya were no longer members. Both have continued in their anti-Putin activism with Maria notably still touring with others using the Pussy Riot name. In 2017, she published a memoir titled "Riot Day" and created a live conceptual performance based on the book, which she and others continue to perform as "Pussy Riot."