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Pussy Riot pepper sprayed and beaten in Sochi

Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were detained and questioned by Sochi police while planning an anti-Putin protest Wednesday.

By Aileen Graef

SOCHI, Russia, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Pussy Riot members were attacked by a group of Russian Cossacks during an impromptu performance in Sochi Thursday.

In the video taken by bystanders, the unidentified members can be seen starting their performance, and then Cossacks approach and spray the women with pepper spray, hitting them with whips.

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The two most well known members of the punk band, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, ran into trouble Thursday when they were detained by Sochi police under suspicion for stealing from a hotel. Pussy Riot has targeted the 2014 Sochi winter Olympics to gain international media attention for their progressive anti-Putin protests.

[HuffPost Live]

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