Nadya Tolokonnikova[Speaking to The Guardian]

Russia without Putin!

I saw this small totalitarian machine from the inside. Russia indeed works just the way the prison colony. That's why it's so important to change colonies so that Russia would change, too.Maria Alyokhina[Speaking to The New York Times]

I think this is an attempt to improve the image of the current government, a little, before the Sochi Olympics — particularly for the Western Europeans. But I don’t consider this humane or merciful.

This is a lie.

We didn’t ask for any pardon. I would have sat here until the end of my sentence because I don’t need mercy from Putin.[From The Guardian's reporting]

This is typical behaviour in our penitentiary system, which is as closed and conservative as jail itself – [prison officials'] methods are all about secrecy, no information and zero transparency.

If I had a chance to turn it down, I would have done it, no doubt about that. This is not an amnesty. This is a hoax and a PR move. [The release from prison is] a secret special operation than an act of humanism.

We will be creating very special, colourful and powerful programmes to defend other innocent women in Russian prisons, who are being turned into slaves right now.[ITN]

Now I would like to meet with human rights activists, and I would like now to deal with the issue of prison. Now I'm not afraid of anything anymore, believe me.