Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in 1997. In his 2002 interview with "Izvestia", Metropolitan Kirill called the allegations about his profiteering a political campaign against him. Alexander Pochinok who was the minister of taxes and levies (1999-2000), said in 2009 that Kirill had no involvement in the violations. Three female members of the feminist group Pussy Riot were arrested in March 2012 for performing a song in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow during which they called on the Virgin Mary to "chase Putin out". The women were arrested for hooliganism and were later sentenced to two years' imprisonment. The song contained swear words
2012 Russian presidential election budget funds have been spared. 2012 Russian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Russia on 4 March 2012. There were five officially registered candidates; four representatives of registered parties and one independent. These election were the first after the constitutional amendments in 2008. In this election, the President was elected for the first time for six years, not four as before. At the United Russia congress in Moscow on 24 September 2011, President Dmitry Medvedev proposed that his predecessor, Vladimir Putin stand for the presidency in 2012, an offer which Putin accepted. Putin immediately offered Medvedev the opportunity stand