Russian bands

""We never said we were lesbians, but everyone said that we were and now everyone said that we lied. We simply love each other." Lena Katina, 2005"

""We never pretended to be lesbians, its just what people thought of us." Lena Katina, 2005 Interview for Dangerous and Moving release."

""Our songs are about our love for each other." t.A.T.u. before they came out of the 'closet' as straight girls."

""What we have – is not even a friendship, it's much more. When people actually live together for ten years, you can't call it just a friendship. I take her more as a relative than a friend" Lena Katina"

""No. Just friends, not lovers. We never were lovers. We were always really good friends. We are like sisters. It's like, when you meet your friend, you can hug them, give them a kiss? Girls just do it more honestly. We never were lesbians, to be honest." Lena Katina, Interview with Gazeta Izvestiya, September 2005"

""I like everything about Yulia! Nothing wrong there! She's my friend, my sister. I can call her at 4am and tell her that I'm not feeling well, I know she'll come over." Lena Katina on being asked what t.A.T.u liked most and least of each other, February 2006, French FHM interview."

""I like everything about Lena, even if she has some little flaws: sometimes she cries and yells at me. You know, I could kill for her!" Yulia Volkova, February 2006, French FHM interview"

""Lesbian image does not disturb us, because we are not lesbians. Yes, we love each other, but I repeat, we are not lesbians. We just show love between two girls, without vulgarities. Our behaviour has been misinterpreted. I have never had a girlfriend and I have never been in a relationship with Yulia. But it's true, that meanwhile Yulia had a girlfriend." Lena Katina"

""There is a love of friends between us. Our slogan is to love and it's not important whom to love. We want to say that a boy can love a boy and a girl can love a girl. If all people would love each other, it would be easier to live in this world. If people are lead by hatred and evil, nothing good would happen from this." Yulia Volkova, Herolds Of Love Interview, Kroonika, 4 April 2006, Tallinn, Estonia."

""We love each other, and we don't give a (expletive) what people think about our private lives" Lena Katina"

""Maybe we are having sex every night, but maybe not, We're still trying to figure things out, and we're not telling anyone about it. There are different kinds of love. You can love your mom, dad, girls, boys, friends, nature. I can't understand why everyone thinks we're lesbians." Lena Katina"

""That was just stupid. I don't know why they were afraid. America should be open, especially about love." Lena Katina, about the censorship of their kiss on The Tonight Show"

""People are afraid of truth, People were like, 'You're not afraid that people will cancel your visas, and you'll never go to America again?' But we are provocative. That's our nature." Lena Katina, on the Hui Voine! shirts"

""There are other teenagers, some who are not straight, and they have lots of problems with parents and other people. We're helping them not to be afraid. That's what people like about us, I think. We're not afraid of anything. We just do what we want to do." Lena Katina"

""t.A.T.u is about saying what you feel, not what others expect. Be in love. Be yourself. We are." Lena Katina"

""I love her greatly! I can do anything for her but I don’t manage to be always by her side. We need to tour. Should I drag her around with me? She’s in Moscow with nanny now. It’s okay. We have whole life ahead of us." Yulia Volkova, When asked about her Daughter and being a Mother."

""Well, we’ve never done any PR stuff on purpose. Everything we’ve done is our own wishes. Vanya could never manage to force us do something we don’t want to. t.A.T.u. is not a product. t.A.T.u. is art." — t.A.T.u, 2005 for an Interview to the magazine «10 days» (Ukraine)."

""We are international artists, but we are not international people." Lena Katina"

""We didn't tell that! That was gossip. Fucking gossip!" Lena Katina on the Frank Skinner show when being confronted about the "elderly" quote said about the German entry to Eurovision."

""Just t.A.T.u. Nothing else." Yulia Volkova on being asked what t.A.T.u means."

""We don't regret anything. In general, it is never necessary to regret anything, whatever happens. Whatever you plan, things turn out differently anyway. It is simply not necessary to make illusions for yourself. There was no image. We always behave the way we want to." Yulia Volkova, on whether they regret anything, October 2005"

""Everyday. That's a joke. Sometimes I must lie because I don't want to disappoint people." Yulia Volkova, when asked when was the last time t.A.T.u last told a lie, October 2005"

""We're just showing our reality. It's a pretty violent video. Every day a different young girl gets attacked. It's a problem. So we just want to say you have to be careful in this world." Lena Katina, in Steppin' Out Magazine November 30, 2006; referring to the 'All About Us' video."

""We enjoy that of course! It's our life!" t.A.T.u. on whether they enjoy causing controversy, CD:UK Interview, October 2005"

""Moscow is the best place on earth, It is so warm, so friendly, the people are so nice. Everybody knows everybody. In America, they don't even know their neighbour. If you want some salt or sugar, you go to the store. In Moscow, we go next door." Lena Katina"

""Maybe they are boys who are angry with us because we say we can love a girl. They are not our friends and if they were, they are not our friends any more. They want to say, 'Oh, Lena was a virgin and we had sex', 'Julia goes with all the boys'. Why would they want to tell stories like that? Why do people care? We don't care! It does not make us feel bad because we know the truth." Lena Katina"

""Ivan is a genius, He is our friend and he has helped us on our journey through life. He cares about us and we care about him." Lena Katina"

""We are happy that the whole world now is talking about Russia and our music, and we see a lot of people starting to learn Russian now. We want to support our country, and do what we like!" Lena Katina"

""We just stay together, it's normal. It's more comfortable, because she's carying shampoo.. and I'm carrying balm" Lena Katina on the Frank Skinner show talking about the benefits of sharing a hotel room with Yulia."

""They are so sexy, when boy kiss eachother, and girl." Yulia Volkova on Frank Skinner."

""It's fucking great!" Lena Katina on the Frank Skinner show about their new album, Dangerous and Moving."

""People are focused on themselves, they become selfish, self-centered and they don't share anything! It goes beyond sexuality. The lyrics are more profound, serious and sincere than ever before. It's psychology!" Lena Katina in an interview with Tribu Move on the song "Loves Me Not." (Translation www.tatysite.net)"

""Люди Инвалиды (Lyudi Invalidy) is about our lives and other peoples... Our thoughts our worries" t.A.T.u. in an interview with CD UK."

""It's about us growing up, the new challenges we face. It's a more serious album, darker and depressive because we met so many fake people in music." Lena Katina in an Interview with Planet Sound"

"As Yulia said in an interview with the Russian Bravo Magazine when explaining who the Люди-Инвалиды were, "...we are not talking about a physical disability, but only about the moral disabilities - they all have crippled souls.""

"Sometimes we have been asked to do things that have been uncomfortable," Lena recounts, "but for us, ultimately, t.A.T.u. is our project. I think that we have to do it in a way that is conducive to us, that we are comfortable with. If we're going to do things just because other people are telling us to, then we're just going to get lost. We have an instinct about what to do, and how to sing, and I think that usually when people are told what to do, it doesn't happen necessarily in a good way."

"Gays are still thankful to us"

"We’ve been fighting for the right to sing, to think, to criticise. To be musicians and artists, ready to do everything to change our country, no matter the risks. We go on with our musical fight in Russia and our country is dominated by evil man. These men think its illegal to call yourself a feminist and to sing Punk music"

"This man thinks it’s illegal to stand up for the right of the gay and lesbian community."

"This man think that you can’t criticise your government."

"This man thinks that if you sing and dance in an inappropriate way you get two years in prison!"

"Thank you Madonna! Thank you Red Hot Chili Peppers! Thank you Björk! Thank you Green Day! And a gigantic punk feminist thank you to all musicians, activists, to everyone around the world who have stood up together to fight for our right to be free. Start the Pussy Riot! And never stop! The fight for freedom is an endless battle that is bigger than life."

"Pussy Riot – Vladimir Putin Message. This man thinks that if you sing and dance in an inappropriate way you get two years in prison!"

"When we were jailed, Pussy Riot immediately became very popular and widely known, and it turned from just a group to essentially an international movement. Anybody can be Pussy Riot, you just need to put on a mask and stage an active protest of something in your particular country, wherever that may be, that you consider unjust. And we’re not here as the leaders of Pussy Riot or determining what Pussy Riot is and what it does or what it says. We are just two individuals that spent two years in jail for taking part in a Pussy Riot protest action."

"It's not a question of courage, it's a question of your development. Everything interesting begins with conflict."

"Putin's system is much weaker than it seems."

"It was also in May that Putin as inaugurated for his third term as president. We know now that the crackdown that has characterized his third term began with the arrest of Pussy Riot. We also know that the August 2012 trial of Pussy Riot drew the lines in the culture war that Putin has launched."