Pussy Riot’s MediaZona Joins Forces With the Guardian

Pussy Riot announced the birth of their new independent news site, MediaZona, in September, and now it looks like they will be partnering with a major media player to help the platform evolve.

Nadya Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, who are two-thirds of the Russian punk band, started MediaZona to focus on what is going on in Russia's court and prison system. Working with the U.K. news giant, the Guardian, will only bring that coverage to a bigger audience.

"We thank the Guardian for participating in our goal to make Russian news more transparent and accessible for everybody in and out of the country," Nadya and Maria say in a statement. "We trust that even more eyes will bring more attention and raise questions about the topics that are important to us at MediaZona."

The New East Network, which launched in June, is a collaboration between the Guardian and sites specializing in coverage of the former Soviet Union -- and having MediaZona onboard looks to be a great fit to enhance that mission.

"At a time when independent media in Russia is under unprecedented attack, MediaZona is an invaluable source of genuine journalism," said Luke Harding, who used to serve as the Moscow bureau chief at the Guardian. "Its stories -- on subjects ranging from conditions in penal colonies to Russia's Soviet-style court system -- are necessary and important. I'm delighted that MediaZona is working in partnership with the Guardian's New East Network."