The founder of the anti-Kremlin punk activist group Pussy Riot said Sunday that she has been encouraged by seeing Russians risk jail time and beatings for publicly opposing President Vladimir Putin s invasion of Ukraine, saying it indicates that far more people in Russia oppose the war than what has actually been seen.

One thing we need to understand about Russians opposing the war in Ukraine is the numbers of people who are against war are actually much higher than those you can see on the streets, because the price of participating in protest activity is increasingly high, especially became incredibly dangerous over the last week, Nadya Tolokonnikova told CNNs Jake Tapper on Sunday.

You can go to jail for up to 15 years. And, by going to streets, youre actually exposing yourself to a greater danger, said Tolokonnikova, who served more than 21 months in prison for participating in a 2012 protest against Putin .