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MOSCOW – A member of Pussy Riot, a group of Russian punk activists who has garnered worldwide media attention in recent years for its anti-Kremlin protests, was hospitalized this week, with group members suspecting that he had been poisoned.
Pyotr Verzilov said that he was feeling sick after attending a hearing earlier this week from activist Veronika Nikulshina, who spoke on Wednesday night with Meduza media. After resting for several hours that night, he awoke to find that his eyesight was deteriorating, she said.
Last night, "his condition worsened exponentially. It was first his vision, then his ability to speak, then his ability to walk, "she said.
Later, he was taken to the hospital and a few hours later he was transferred to a toxicology department, Ms. Nikulshina said. The hospital staff refused to share information with her or with Verzilov's mother, she added.
Pussy Riot members, including his former partner Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, said on Twitter that he was in critical condition and may have been poisoned.
Mr Verzilov and Ms Nikulshina advertised earlier this year after running on the pitch of the World Cup final with two other members of Pussy Riot, dressed as police officers. brutality in Russia.
In addition to his role in Pussy Riot, Mr Verzilov also publishes the independent news website in Russian MediaZona. The media site did not independently mention allegations that he could have been poisoned, although his report was based on Ms. Nikulshina's story.
The PEN freedom of expression advocacy group said in a statement that the reports of possible intoxication were "horrible".
A Kremlin spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Mr. Verzilov, a producer of Pussy Riot, began his activism in the field of spontaneous public performance in the collective Voina, or War, known for performing some of the sharpest scenes of the early years of President Vladimir Putin's reign.
These acts included the launching of live cats to
McDonalds
Corp.
employees and painting a large phallus under a drawbridge which, when raised, faced the building of the Federal Security Service.
If Mr Verzilov was actually poisoned, his case would follow similar cases involving Kremlin critics, including opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was poisoned in 2015 and 2017. He said that "I'm in a bad mood." he suspected that he had been poisoned in retaliation for his public criticism of Mr. Putin. Kara-Murza's criticism of the Russian government made him a friend in Washington and he carried the coffin of the late Senator John McCain at his funeral earlier this month.
Earlier this year, a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok, in southern England. The UK government has accused the Russian state of authorizing the attack, causing the largest collective expulsion of Russian diplomats from the West. Moscow has repeatedly denied this accusation.
Mr. Verzilov was involved in the group when three members of Pussy Riot burst into Christ the Savior Cathedral in 2012 and sang "Holy Mary, Chase Putin". Later, Mr Verzilov spoke in court to defend the group.
Write to Thomas Grove at [email protected]
