Web exclusive: McFaul: 'I don't know' why Russia cracks down on Pussy Riot

(CNN) – In an exclusive interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said he doesn't quite understand Russian President Vladimir Putin's obsession with Pussy Riot.

Asked by Tapper why Russian authorities keep cracking down on the outspoken music group, McFaul said he has no idea.

"I don't know, to be honest," McFaul told Tapper. "I have said privately to my colleagues in the Russian government, including in the Kremlin, that sometimes their overreaction makes more news and more trouble for them in the West, than if they had a different approach."

Watch CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" Monday at 4 p.m. ET to see the rest of our interview with Amb. McFaul.