Maria Alekhina, member of the feminist punk rock group Pussy Riot, sat for an interview yesterday about her thoughts on Vladimir Putin‘s compliments of Donald Trump.

Alekhina warned that American attitudes to the frontrunner are very similar to those who didn’t think much of Putin before his reign. She expressed deep concern about those who still think of Trump as a joke, and said that those who vote for him are voting for an Americanized version of the Russian president.

Pussy Riot was the band that achieved infamy in Russia over a year ago for speaking out against Putin’s various oppressive policies. Trump’s campaign has been marked with controversy for his inflammatory rhetoric about various groups, and he has also come under fire for defending Putin’s leadership despite the fact that Putin is known to execute journalists and political dissidents.

“Everybody [is] joking about Donald Trump now, but it’s a very short way from joke to sad reality when you have a really crazy president speaking about breaking every moral and logic norm,” Alekhina said. She also expressed her disapproval for the media for their copious coverage of the mogul, and said that they do not take his rhetoric seriously enough.

We have so many serious problems, and to follow and comment [on] every word of this man is really not the best idea…If you want in your country to have your own Putin, you can vote for Donald Trump.

Watch above, via Huffington Post.

[image via screengrab]