Pussy Riot members renew calls for Sochi Games boycott in Russia

Two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot have renewed calls for world leaders to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Speaking at a press conference in New York, Nadia Tolonnikova and Maria Alyokhina accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of cracking down on dissent.

They also criticized Russian authorities for spending a huge amount of resources on the games, which open on Friday, the Huffington Post reports.

The two were released from Russian prisons in December after serving nearly two years for hooliganism.

According to the report, Russian opposition leaders have estimated the country has spent between 45.8 billion dollars and 51 billion dollars on the Winter Olympics.

The Pussy Riot members, too, condemned the Olympic spending spree, arguing that the games do little for ordinary Russians.

The activists also urged world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, to speak out on the human rights situation in Russia during visits to the country, the report added.