Punk band Pussy Riot stage protest at Venice Biennale's Russian pavilion

Russian punk band Pussy Riot and members of a Ukrainian feminist group stormed the Russian pavilion at an arts festival in protest at Moscow's participation.

Fifty members of feminist groups opposed to Vladimir Putin blockaded the highly controversial green building for at least half an hour while Italian police stopped them from entering and temporarily closed the pavilion.

Activists linked to the rock group and from Ukrainian organisation FEMEN launched the demonstration over Russian involvement at the world's oldest international art exhibition, the Venice Biennale, on Wednesday.

As pink, blue and yellow smoke filled the air, with their faces covered by pink balaclavas, they could be heard shouting "Blood is Russia's art" and "Disobey".

The group chanted, played a punk rock song and dispersed without any further trouble on the second day of VIP previews ahead of the festival's opening on Saturday.

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After years of war, "you guys just opened the door to them," said Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova.

She said the festival had not understood the importance of "so-called soft power, things, things that seemingly for some people are not important or not political".

"For Russia, it's clear that it's part of their military strategy, and that's the way they try to conquer the West," she said.

This year is the first time Russia has participated in the international art exhibit since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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The opening has already cost €2m (£1.73m) in EU funding and sparked chaos during the normally calm week of previews at the festival.

The jury resigned last week in protest at both Russia and Israel's participation, citing crimes against humanity.

The Biennale has defended its decision, noting that any country with ties to Italy is free to take part, despite opposition from Giorgia Meloni's government.

The run-up to Biennale's 61st edition is the most controversial in recent memory, reflecting global tensions.

Palestinians held a demonstration outside the Israeli pavilion on Wednesday.

Russia is one of 29 nations with a pavilion in the historic Giardini venue, and one of the oldest, dating from 1914, 19 years after the Biennale was founded.

The five-woman jury's unprecedented resignation came after it announced that it would not award the prestigious Golden Lion prizes to countries under investigation by the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses, effectively taking Russia and Israel out of the running.

Russia's pavilion, which features a series of musical performances, is scheduled to close before the official opening of the Biennale on Saturday.

In Moscow, Mikhail Shvydkoy, Putin's special envoy for international cultural cooperation, has welcomed the country's return to the festival, telling Russia's news outlet RBC last month that "Russian culture can't be cancelled".

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