 The court 's decision aroused " little sensation " domestically . Many Russians were outraged by Pussy Riot 's church protest and supported " the right of the majority to worship in peace " . The Soviet government had destroyed the Christ the Savior Cathedral in the 1930s ( it was rebuilt in the 1990s ) , adding to the location 's significance to believers . At the conclusion of the trial , a series of Levada Center polls showed that , of 1600 Russians surveyed in 45 cities nationwide , 42 % also believed Pussy Riot had been arrested for insulting the shrines and beliefs of the Orthodox Church . Meanwhile , 29 % saw it as a case of general hooliganism , while only 19 % saw it as a political protest against Putin . Overall opinion was for the most part negative or indifferent . Only 6 % sympathised with Pussy Riot , while 41 % felt antipathy towards them . 44 % believed the trial was " fair and impartial " , while 17 % believed it was not . Of those following the case , 86 % favored some form of punishment , ranging from prison to forced labor or fines , while 5 % said they should not have been punished at all . A prison sentence of 2 to 7 years was seen as appropriate by 33 % , whereas 43 % saw two or more years as excessive , and a further 15 % said the defendants should not have been prosecuted in court . A research assessment by the Exovera company noted that , in online discussion forums , " there was clearly an awareness of being judged by the global community , whose response was referred to in some cases as ' hysterical ' and unfair " . 
