“Russian art is blood” – Pussy Riot storm Venice Biennale as Russia bombs a kindergarten in Ukraine

May 7, 2026

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Protest groups Pussy Riot and Femen stormed the Venice Biennale yesterday protesting against the participation of Russia in the international arts event. Russia was welcomed to the show for the first time this year after it was expelled following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The EU has reacted by cutting its funding to the event.

The protest, aimed against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was staged outside the Russian pavilion with protestors wearing their trademark pink balaclavas alongside the Femen group who chanted slogans including “Russian art is blood” and “Disobey” as they coloured the pavilion with pink smoke. Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova said that while “Russian guests are treated to champagne, drones and ballistic missiles are flying toward Ukraine,” adding that “thousands of prisoners of war and political prisoners remain in cold prison cells.” Tolokonnikova also argued that the only Russian art deserving representation at future Biennales should come from dissident and imprisoned artists, stating: “Those people make art, and I want that art to represent Russia, because they represent the real face of Russia.”

Drones and ballistic missiles have been hitting Ukrainian cities regularly this week killing several civilians in multiple cities including in Kramatorsk and also in Sumy, where a female security guard was killed after a Russian drone hit a kindergarten (footage below).

Meanwhile, another Ukrainian artist at the Venice Biennale also gave a theatrical performance at the Russian pavilion in protest. Yuriy Gruzinov walked in the Russian pavilion taking notes in a notebook titled “2026 l:ist of Bastards”. Footage below.

The surroundings of the Venice Biennale have been filled with posters of Ukrainian artists who were killed by Russia during the ongoing war.

Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova and her fellow original members are Russian dissidents who were forced to flee Russia for their safety. They founded the group through controversial theatrical performances in Russia, including performing anti-Putin songs inside Orthodox churches. They have consistently protested against Vladimir Putin and his regime for years, long before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.