Pussy Riot lauds Green Day, Madonna in video. A VMA coincidence?

The Russian feminist punk collective Pussy Riot has received praise from artists including Björk, Madonna, Green Day and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Now the band is returning the favor.

In a new video communique released by MTV, two members of the group thanked all those artists for their outspoken support while rappelling down the side of a large structure draped in a Pussy Riot banner. The video closes with them setting off flares to ignite a portrait of Vladimir Putin.

It’s unclear whether those two balaclava-clad members are the same two who recently escaped from Russia under threat of prosecution. The group prizes anonymity, and technically, anyone can don the mask and be an axillary member of Pussy Riot.

But the video’s curiously high production values and perilous stunt work -- a reference to some members’ madcap rooftop escape from Russian police -- raises its own questions, especially given its release just before tonight’s Video Music Awards on MTV. Chris Martins at Spin raises the hypothetical possibility that it’s no coincidence at all.

MTV is reportedly asking artists about Pussy Riot on the red carpet, and it broke the story of the video message. After the group’s much-publicized protests, arrests and celebrity approval, a surprise Pussy Riot cameo might be the most radical thing MTV could arrange for this year’s VMAs.

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