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
Vladimir Putin and his press-secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said the leak was a conspiracy aimed at Putin. As president and prime-minister, Putin has lived in numerous official residences throughout the country. These residences include: the Moscow Kremlin, in Moscow Oblast, the White House in Moscow, near Moscow, Bocharov Ruchey in Sochi, in Novgorod Oblast, and Riviera in Sochi. In August 2012, critics of President Vladimir Putin listed the ownership of 20 villas and palaces, nine of which were built during Putin's 12 years in power. Soon after Putin returned from his KGB service in Dresden, East Germany, he built a dacha in Solovyovka