The Russian activist punk group Pussy Riot has reportedly been attacked in Sochi by Cossacks with whips and pepper spray, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Eyewitnesses said the group were about to perform as they had just put on their trademark balaclavas in downtown Sochi.
But around a dozen Cossacks (local militia who are used by police to help patrol the town) set upon the group and started beating them, smashing their guitar and ripping off their balaclavas.
On Tuesday, members of Pussy Riot were detained for three hours by police, reportedly for questioning over a theft at a local hotel.
They said they were in Sochi to perform a song called ‘Putin Will Teach You To Love The Motherland'.
