The trial of members of Russian “punk feminists” Pussy Riot might be temporarily on hold, but new developments continue to emerge in this convoluted, tragic story.

The Guardian report that Russian president Vladimir Putin has stated the defendants, currently contesting a two year jail term for hooliganism, all “got what they asked for”.

Speaking to state-run station NTV as part of a documentary in honour of his 60th birthday, Putin claimed that “It was right that they were arrested, and the court’s decision was right”. He also denied personal interference in the case, insisting he has had “nothing to do with it”.

Putin’s conduct in the interview suggests real disdain for the trio: the paper claim he reacts with visible contempt when the their plight is raised in the interview, and challenges the interviewer to translate their name for him: “You see, if you can’t say it in front of me, it means it’s an indecent word. These girls must be talented – they forced you all to say that word. Is that normal? One must not erode our moral foundation and undermine the country. What would be left then?”.

One of the defendant’s lawyers has concluded that the comments are designed to nudge the court towards a guilty verdict. Nikolai Polozov said that the statements were “a planned propaganda campaign aimed at getting the court to form a negative opinion…this is pressure on the court”. He also noted a change in Putin’s tone, pointing back to the president’s advice in August that the group not be judged “too harshly”.

Three members of Pussy Riot were jailed for two years in August after staging an anti-Putin happening in Moscow’s Christ The Saviour cathedral back in February. Their subsequent imprisonment and conviction has caused global outrage.