GQ corresponds with the imprisoned members of Pussy Riot.

To assemble their interview with Nadezhda “Nadya” Tolokonnikova, Maria “Masha” Alyokhina, and Yekaterina “Katya” Samutsevich of Pussy Riot, GQ passed questions through their lawyers; Katya’s answered were confiscated.

As expected, prison life for the three is grim. “It’s all “Hug the wall” this and “Hands behind your back” that. They search our cells regularly and confiscate our drawings and notes. Why? “The rules,” says Masha. In response to claims that the three are getting “VIP treatment,” Nadya shot back, “Did Auschwitz have VIP death lounges? If yes, then I suppose you can call our conditions VIP treatment.”

The two also expanded on the collective’s origins, their infamous church protest, and the outpour of Western support: “I still can’t shake the feeling that I’ve spent the last six months acting in a big-budget movie,” says Nadya.

Prison has not softened their confrontational edge. Masha concludes the interview with these strong words for the forces behind their imprisoning: “We couldn’t even imagine that the authorities would be so dumb that they would actually legitimize our influence by arresting us. Sure, they tried to intimidate us constantly. But unlike Putin, we’re not chickenshit.”