Watch: Pussy Riot's Dramatic Thank You Video to Madonna and Bjork

The free members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot released a dramatic video in which they thank supportive musicians like Madonna and Bjork, while rappelling down the side of a building, burning images of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

"We've been fighting for the right to sing, to think, to criticize," says a bandmember to open the video, clad in the group's trademark knit balaclava, short dress and bright stockings.

As the women rappel down the abandoned concrete building, they burn images of President Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, calling them "evil men."

"These men think it's illegal to call yourself a feminist," says one woman in the video. "These men think it's illegal to stand up for the rights of the gay and lesbian community!"

The video was produced for the MTV Video Music Awards, after MTV officials asked the Russian punk group to respond to several prominent musician's stated support at concerts in Russia last month, reports The Moscow Times.

Madonna defied a federal ban on "gay propaganda" when she spoke out in favor of LGBT equality at her August concert in St. Petersburg. Bjork dedicated a song to the incarcerated women during an August concert in Finland, according to Pitchfork. Other artists, including Red Hot Chili Peppers (video here) and Green Day, have also lent support to the feminist punk rockers.

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