The two arrived in New York on Tuesday and have been charming the pants off of New York media ever since. On Tuesday night they appeared as guests on The Colbert Report, where Tolokonnikova went quip for quip against the pseudo-conservative host and Alyokhina, taking a more serious tone, discussed the country's harsh anti-LGBT laws. The two performed like pros, telling Colbert they didn't want their futures determined by a "man on a horse," and thanking the audience for their support, prompting Colbert to wonder if they knew the Russian word for "pander." The banter was hardly slowed by the presence of a translator.

On Wednesday, the pair spoke with the New York Times opinion team, which live-tweeted the conversation and published Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina's comments on why they're not afraid of prison, despite terrifying conditions, their political futures, and thoughts on art versus activism. According to The Times, their opinions are "why they're getting so much attention."

That night, the two appeared at the concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where they were introduced by Madonna. Madonna, who said she'd received death threats while on tour in Russia, was "upstaged" by the Pussy Riot members, according to The New York Post:

Once the members of Pussy Riot joined her, they delivered an impassioned ten minute speech through an interpreter about their experiences and quoted the statements of other Russians facing prison terms for similar protests. “We have to remember that freedom is not a given,” Tolokonnikova said. “It’s something we have to fight for and stand for everyday. It is our duty to speak for those who are still behind bars.”

The pair also had a chance to speak with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power. Power's spokesperson said they spoke about "the disturbing trend in (Russia) of legislation, prosecutions and government actions aimed at suppressing dissent and pressuring groups that advocate for fundamental human rights and basic government accountability."

Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina are a rare breed for an American audience, which freaks out when celebrities spend hours in jail for doing things that are justly illegal. In their mid-twenties, the dedicated activists spoke out against Putin and were thrown in jail for it, spending several months under horrific conditions in prison (Tolokonnikova went on a hunger strike while in jail to call attention to how hard it is for incarcerated women, highlighting 16-17 hour workdays and a lack of medical services). Once freed, they immediately challenged Putin again, embarking on a world tour to sully his name and dare him to put them back in jail. They seem humble and thoughtful and honest, and they look cool and young and relatable. They both have children back home.

If the pair manage to persuade the Kremlin to enact prison reform -- or any reform -- we hope Pussy Riot will take them back, and it sounds like they just might. In the letter they write that "we lost two friends, two ideological fellow member [sic], but the world has acquired two brave, interesting, controversial human rights defenders -- fighters for the rights of the Russian prisoners."

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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