Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin made an obscene tweet about pop star Madonna after the singer urged authorities to free Pussy Riot musicians facing up to seven years in prison over a February performance at a Moscow cathedral criticizing officials.
"Every former w. who has aged wants to give lectures about morals, especially during tours and gigs abroad," Rogozin wrote on his Twitter microblog late Wednesday, using an abbreviated form of the Russian swearword for whore. He was apparently referring to Madonna's role in a movie involving sex episodes.
At a concert Tuesday at Moscow's Olimpiisky stadium, Madonna said the three young women standing trial on charges of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred for a song denouncing President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill "have done something courageous" and "have paid the price for their act."
"I pray for their freedom," she said. The defendants have been under arrest since early March.
Rogozin's declaration was quickly reposted by bloggers and journalists on Twitter, Facebook and news websites, provoking angry comments about both Rogozin and Madonna.
Some said Rogozin was right because Madonna "was a whore previously," while others hinted or said directly that Rogozin himself was a "whore," apparently referring to his loyalty to Putin.
The verdict in the Pussy Riot case is expected next Friday at Moscow's Khamovnichesky District Court. Prosecutors have asked the court to sentence the women — Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22; Maria Alyokhina, 24; and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30 ?€” to three years in prison.