Stephen Colbert welcomed Masha Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova, the recently freed members of Pussy Riot, on last night's "The Colbert Report". Colbert joked around by playing the role of Putin defender: "Now Vladimir's a friend," he said. "So I'm going to edit out anything bad you say about him."

When he asked if they'd like to thank President Vladimir Putin for releasing them from jail, they replied—through a translator— that they'd rather thank the people who supported them, including the "Colbert" audience. He also asked if they truly believed that their release from Russian prison was simply a PR stunt for the Olympics, to which they jokingly suggested Putin made a mistake and should throw them back in prison.

During Colbert's signoff, he turned a bit more serious and said: "Vladimir, I don't ask much, and I don't ask often, but you leave those girls alone," and threw on the signature Pussy Riot mask. Watch all the segments below.

Interview, part one:

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Interview, part two:

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Colbert sign-off:

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