A Moscow court has freed Russia’s most notorious performance artist, who was jailed for setting fire to the headquarters of Russia’s security services last year. The court fined Petr Pavlensky just 500,000 roubles (£5,319) for damaging the cultural site and ordered him to pay a further 481,000 roubles to compensate for the cost of repairs. Related: Petr Pavlensky: why I nailed my scrotum to Red SquarePavlensky’s lawyer, Dmitry Dinze, has previously said the performance artist will likely ignore the fine out of principle, which could eventually see him land in jail anyway. Speaking outside the courthouse, the artist thanked his supporters and said: “It does not matter how the trial ended,” he said. He said this could mean Pavlensky would have to serve time in a “settlement colony” – an open prison in a remote area.

Source: The Guardian June 08, 2016 11:33 UTC