Pussy Riot band member Maria Alyokhina escapes Russia dressed as food courier after criticising Putin | World News

Political activist and member of the Russian band Pussy Riot has reportedly fled the country disguised as a food courier after criticising Vladimir Putin.

Maria Alyokhina and her fellow band members first got here to the attention of the Russian authorities after staging a protest against the Russian president inside Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral in 2012.

Despite being sentenced to two years in jail for their activism, the group continued to speak out against the Kremlin leader, with Ms Alyokhina remaining decided to combat Mr Putin's system.

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After being released from prison, she continued her activism and set up a information outlet targeted on crime and punishment in Russia, called Mediazona, with one other member of the band.

In April, Russian authorities positioned her underneath home arrest as they tried to stop these within the country who opposed their invasion of Ukraine.

The 33-year-old was then ordered to spend 21 days in a penal colony.

Nonetheless, the band leader managed to evade the Moscow police by disguising herself as a food courier and leaving her cellphone behind as a decoy.

She was then in a position to cross into Lithuania after in search of the assistance of an artist from Iceland, who secured her journey documents.

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Evaluating her story to a "spy novel", Ms Alyokhina advised The New York Times: "I used to be blissful that I made it, because it was an unpredictable and large kiss-off to the Russian authorities.

"I still don't understand utterly what I've achieved."

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Ms Alyokhina added: "I do not suppose Russia has a proper to exist anymore.

"Even before, there have been questions about how it's united, by what values it is united, and the place it is going. However now I do not think that could be a query anymore."

In 2019, fellow bandmate Nadya Tolokonikova spoke to Sky Information about her time in a prison camp and protests happening in Russia.