Pussy Riot are first a dissident, feminist art collective, and then a punk music act. The Russian collective has never been one to hold back, having voiced dissent over and over. A few weeks ago, they took over Trump Tower to protest US President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, they released Police State (above), an electro-pop protest against police brutality, state surveillance and, as usual, Trump and Vladimir Putin. The bleak, dystopian video, which marks the anniversary of the Russian Revolution and the 2016 US Presidential election, shows actress Chloe Sevigny as a brutal, cruel law enforcement officer who violently beats up children’s toys with a police baton.

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A lithe ballerina is juxtaposed starkly with the violence as she gracefully pirouettes in the background. In turns, it shows three children strapped into place wearing Pussy Riot’s trademark colourful masks, being forced to watch videos of Trump and Putin shaking hands.

The disturbing video, directed by Matt Creed, illustrates the state of authoritarianism in the countries. Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova, who is the only member who unveils her face in the video, said in a press statement, “Pro-authoritarian trends and autocratic, conservative, right-wing leaders are spreading around the world like a sexually transmitted disease. What can we do?”

According to her, apathy and hopelessness are the biggest culprits in such a time. “If we find a way how to act together, be articulate, focused and persuasive, we can shift mountains,” she said, bringing in how Soviet dissidents fought against one of the most oppressive governments in the world through their own magazines (samizdat).

Tolokonnikova hoped that the video would highlight how difficult and dangerous it is for political activists to spread new information. At the same time, she says, “If you constantly think about fear, about being beaten or one or another thing, you will never do anything. I prefer to think about things that can be changed.”