Moscow:The Russian protest performance group Pussy Riot have claimed responsibility for a pitch invasion early in the second half of the World Cup final.
France were 2-1 up and Kylian Mbappe had just had his shot well saved and as Croatia tried to break at the other end, four men ran onto the pitch chased by stewards, leading to referee Nestor Pitana calling a halt to play while the invaders were removed, with Russian president Vladimir Putin in attendance. The four were dressed in black trousers with white shirts and black ties and emerged from behind France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris' goal.
"Right now, there are four members of Pussy Riot on the pitch," the group wrote on its Facebook page. Later a member of the band, Olga Kurachyova, told Reuters she was one of those who had run on to the pitch. She said she was being detained in a Moscow police station.
Pussy Riot gained notoriety for a protest inside Moscow's biggest cathedral in 2012, for which three participants were arrested and jailed. Since then, the three women who were put on trial have separated, with two of them – Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina – still appearing separately using the Pussy Riot name. It was unclear whether either of them were involved on
Sunday.