­9:17 GMT:  The LDPR claims their presence here has nothing to do with Pussy Riot, RT’s Peter Oliver reports from the protests outside the courthouse.

­9:10 GMT: Activists from Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) have organized a picket line in defense of the Russian Orthodox Church at the courthouse where the Pussy Riot case is to be decided today. Security was elevated as LDPR activists held signs that read “Hands off the Russian Orthodox Church” and “Don’t soil the Saints with filth.”

­09:02 GMT: RT.com is back online following a massive DDoS attack, but we’re still experiencing some technical difficulties. AntiLeaks has claimed responsibility for the attack, the same group responsible for downing WikiLeaks Bambuser.

Screenshot from Twitter.com

­8:35 GMT: Protesters attached a banner with slogans supporting Pussy Riot to the pedestal of the Tatischev monument in Yekaterinburg.

RIA Novosti/Anton Butsenko

­8:30 GMT: Six members of the international women’s rights group FEMEN have been detained for protesting outside the Russian consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The protest lasted for about 10 minutes, during which time the women shouted at the consulate in Russian, demanding the release of the suspected members of Pussy Riot.

­8:25 GMT: The three women alleged to be members of Pussy Riot have arrived at court for sentencing.

­8:20 GMT: Activists belonging to feminist group FEMEN have taken a chainsaw to a cross in Kiev, Ukraine, in support of Pussy Riot. The felled cross was in a park near Independence Square in the center of the city. “This act of the FEMEN group calls on all forces of society to mercilessly cut down all rotten religious prejudices from our minds that only serve as the foundation of dictatorships and impede the development of democracy and the freedom of women,” the group said.

Image from ridus.ru

­8:12 GMT: In a poll released by the Levada Center, 44 per cent of Russians believe that the trial of Pussy Riot is “being conducted fairly, objectively, and impartially,” Russian daily Kommersant reports. Another 17 per cent do not believe the trial is being conducted fairly, and 18 per cent believe that the punishment will be harsher than deserved, the poll says.  Of those questioned, 25 percent believe the reason for the delays in the judicial process were either “personal revenge of the Patriarch and the president” or “the desire of those in power to frighten the opposition.” Six per cent believe the process is being driven by Patriarch Kirill, and eight per cent say the Putin administration is behind the trial.

­08:00 GMT: RT’s website is under DDoS attack, our hosting provider confirmed.

­7:55 GMT:  RT’s Peter Oliver is reporting from the courthouse protests. He saw a protester wearing a shirt that read ‘WE ARE ALL Pussy Riot…17.08.12 at 14:00.’

‎‏Image from @Vasilevskaya_RT

­7:50 GMT: Pussy Riot supporters in Bulgaria have struck. A monument in honor of Red Army Soldiers was found adorned with colorful fabric stockings resembling the Pussy Riot balaclavas on Friday, Russian Itar-Tass news agency reports. The monument was not defaced in any other way.

­7:35 GMT: Police have cordoned off Rostovsky Pereulok number 7, the street where the courthouse is located and the site of planned protests. Residents are having trouble entering their homes due to the police blockade.

Image from Twitter/@PeterGOliver_RT

­7:33 GMT: Protestors have begun gathering outside of Moscow’s Khamovnichesky Court in anticipation of the verdict.

Image from Twitter/@PeterGOliver_RT

­7:28 GMT: Pussy Riot protests are underway in Sydney, Australia. Demonstrators have set up an installation on Oxford Street in support of the punk group.

Image from Twitter/@_Irko_

­7:23 GMT: Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot says that she does not regret her actions in Christ the Savior Cathedral. “No, of course not. We’re happy that we unexpectedly became the epicenter of such a large political event in which so many different forces are in play,” Tolokonnikova said in an interview with Russian news magazine Novaya Gazeta. “I don’t believe in the court’s decision at all”, she added. “There is no court. It is an illusion.”

­7:20 GMT: Amnesty UK tweeted that it has collected over 12,000 signatures in support of Pussy Riot. The group plans to present the list to Russian authorities.

­7:14 GMT: Pussy Riot protestors have left their mark on historic Old Arbat Street in downtown Moscow. The iconic statues of Aleksandr Pushkin and his wife Nadezhda Goncharova were seen wearing Pussy Riot balaclavas on Friday.

Image from Instagram/@feldsparta4

­7:11 GMT: Around 100 international journalists are gathering at Khamovnichesky Court on Friday to cover the Pussy Riot verdict, Russian Interfax News Agency reports. “We have accredited 72 television and radio companies, both Russian and foreign,” court press officer Darya Lakh told Interfax. Those media outlets include journalists from countries as far afield as Japan and Australia. “Seventy-two people are just those reporters who are required to get permission for videoing and photographing. Besides them, there will be journalists from press publications, including newspapers, information agencies, and Internet portals,” she said.

­6:50 GMT: The judge presiding over the Pussy Riot case is now under police protection after being stalked by Pussy Riot supporters. Justice Marina Syrova applied for protection after noticing that she was constantly being followed. Mysterious Twitter updates have made public details about her location and physical appearance, as well as her car and license plate number.

­6:42 GMT: The Russian Orthodox Church’s Patriarch Kirill is catching heat from Pussy Riot protests in Poland. Several feminist groups in Warsaw have announced a demonstration in front of the Russian embassy on Friday. “We are demanding Russian justice authorities not to impose prison terms and to free the three women. We are demanding Orthodox clergy to respect the principles of love and forgiveness,” the protesters announced on Monday.

The Russian Patriarch is on a trip to try and improve relations between The Russian Orthodox and the Catholic Church.

­6:33 GMT: Friday has been declared ‘Pussy Riot Global Day,’ by FreePussyRiot.org. The website lists a series of Facebook links to protest groups in cities around the world, from Barcelona to Minneapolis.

­6:14 GMT: In a surprising twist in the Pussy Riot case, one of the alleged group members being detained may be a permanent Canadian resident married to a Russian-Canadian, the Canadian National Post’s website reports. In a video posted by Canadian bloggers, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova denied being a permanent resident while being questioned by authorities, despite being shown Canadian residency documents apparently bearing her name. The Canadian government has made no announcement that it will intervene on her behalf.

­6:02 GMT: Acts of protest have already been witnessed in the Moscow Metro. Subway passengers witnessed a young man placing a balaclava (the iconic headgear worn by members of Pussy Riot) on a bronze statue of the Wartime Partisans, in the transfer passage between the Belorusskaya circle line and green line stations, Interfax reports. The event occurred at 8:00am Moscow time.

­5:50 GMT: An increased police presence can be seen outside Moscow’s Khamovnichesky Court, where the decision will be handed down, Interfax news agency reports. Police cordoned off the street leading to the court with metal barriers at 8:00am Moscow time.

RT’s Peter Oliver is outside the courthouse.

­5:45 GMT: The Moscow-based anti-Putin Facebook protest group ‘We were at Bolotnaya Square, and we will come again’ is organizing a new protest. The demonstration will be staged today on Rostovskiy Pereulok at 2:00pm Moscow time. Some 400 people have registered as ‘going.’

­5:40 GMT: Protests at embassies and other Russia-related venues around the world have been planned for 2:00pm Moscow time (10:00 GMT), one hour before the verdict. A protest will be held in Paris on Stravinsky Square.

Three Amnesty International activists dressed as the Russian Band Pussy Rioters outside the Russian Embassy in London.Three Amnesty International activists dressed as the Russian Band Pussy Rioters outside the Russian Embassy in London. (AFP Photo / Max Nash)

­5:38 GMT: A Russian court is expected to announce a verdict on the trial of punk rock protest group Pussy Riot today shortly after 11:00 GMT. The three women alleged to be members of the band have been awaiting the decision since February, when the group staged an anti-Putin ‘punk protest’ in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral.

Prosecutors asked for a three-year prison sentence for the women on charges of ‘hooliganism.’ Pussy Riot supporters around the world are planning protests in support of the group.