Punks push for Putin replacement

The freed members of the Pussy Riot punk band said yesterday they still wanted Russian president Vladimir Putin out of power and would like ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky to replace him.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24, and Maria Alyokhina, 25, made their call for Putin to go at their first news conference, hosted by an opposition television channel and clearly aimed at positioning them as figures of national importance.

“As far as Vladimir Putin is concerned, our attitude towards him has not changed,” Tolokonnikova told opposition television station Dozhd.