In the most sacred area of Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Russian punk rock group Possy Riot calls on the Holy Mother to "throw Putin out."

Almost six months later, three members of the group are facing up to seven years in prision for "hooliganism" motivated by religious hate or hostility.

Seen here on their fifth day of their trial, the women say they were not motivated by hate. They claim their protests were against close ties between President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church.

But Patriarch Kirill, head of the Orthodox Church has called the "punk prayer" blashpemy, casting it as part of a sinister anti-clerical campaign.

Pussy Riot burst onto the Russian music scene last winter with angry lyrics and envelope-pushing performances, including this one in Moscow's Red Square, that went viral on the Internet.

Sarah Wai, Reuters