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Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev has called for the three jailed members of the punk band Pussy Riot to be freed, raising hopes of their early release.
With their case coming up for appeal on October 1, he said further prison time would be "unproductive.".
The women had already spent more than five months in jail when they were convicted in August of "hooliganism driven by religious hatred" and sentenced to two years in prison.
They were arrested after performing a raucous prayer inside Moscow's main cathedral asking Virgin Mary to save Russia from Vladimir Putin.
Their case has drawn protests around the world as it highlighted Mr Putin's intensifying crackdown on dissent.
