A Moscow court has fined four members of the Pussy Riot protest group for wearing police uniforms when briefly interrupting the July 15 World Cup final between France and Croatia by running onto the field.
The Khamovniki district court ruled on July 25 that Veronika Nikulshina, Olga Pakhtusova, Olga Kurachyova, and Pyotr Verzilov must pay 1,500 rubles ($25) each for illegally wearing police uniforms.
The four carried out the protest stunt early in the second half of the final at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking officials from around the world.
Pussy Riot posted messages on social media claiming responsibility for the protest and issuing a list of six political demands -- including the release of all political prisoners in Russia, ending arrests at peaceful rallies, and allowing “political competition in the country.”
On July 16, the four protesters were sentenced to 15 days in jail for "grossly violating the rules for spectators' behavior."
They also were banned by the court from attending sports events for three years.
