Setting fire to Russia's modern-day KGB The new fiery protest of Moscow's most shocking political artist

In the early morning hours of November 9, Petr Pavlensky, famous for his unorthodox political performance art, set fire to one of the doors of the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Lubyanka Square in downtown Moscow. The FSB is the successor to the USSR's Committee for State Security (KGB), which used the same headquarters. After lighting the blaze, police detained and took into custody Pavlensky and two journalists present at the scene. The journalists were later released (having been detained only as witnesses), and Pavlensky was charged with disorderly conduct and vandalism. If convicted, he could go to prison for up to three years. Pavlensky described his act as a protest against the "perpetual terror" of Russia's special police and "the reflex to fight for one's own life."

Petr Pavlensky / Vimeo

The Burning Door of the Lubyanka

Petr Pavlensky

Photo: Ivan Erofeev

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Setting fire to Russia's modern-day KGB The new fiery protest of Moscow's most shocking political artist

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