"The dominant narrative is that it is Putin who is behind the persecution of Pussy Riot. But here, one must note that in his only comments on the issue, Putin recommended leniency for the trio. Beyond that, it is simply very difficult to credit the notion that Putin lies awake at night, worrying about a proletarian revolt incited by feminists with bags over their heads and aging single-name pop celebrities. One would think there are thousands of other, more pertinent issues on his priorities list: the chaos in the eurozone, the civil war in Syria, etc.
"But the real strike against the Putin-is-behind-it-all theory is that it is unfalsifiable. Any outcome can be spun to support it. Had Pussy Riot gotten the maximum seven years, it would only have been yet more evidence of Putin's petty vengefulness; had Pussy Riot been set free, it would have proved Putin was running scared of them. This theory cannot be tested or refuted, and as such, it is of exceedingly little value - you can't have your cake and eat it too.
"What probably did play a very substantial role was the court of public opinion, which was, ironically, mobilised in no small part thanks to the efforts of the media and Pussy Riot's own legal team. Their lawyers conducted the case in obstructive and showy ways designed to maximise its political resonance, as opposed to minimising the sentences against their clients.
"Unfortunately for Pussy Riot, that court of public opinion did not find in their favour either ..."
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/08/2012823795897200.html
-- "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."