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 nation disguised as a meals courier after criticising Vladimir Putin.

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

Despite being sentenced to 2 years in prison for their activism, the group continued to speak out in opposition to the Kremlin chief, with Ms Alyokhina remaining determined to fight Mr Putin's system.

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After being released from prison, she continued her activism and set up a news outlet focused on crime and punishment in Russia, known as Mediazona, with another member of the band.

In April, Russian authorities positioned her below house arrest as they tried to stop those within the country who opposed their invasion of Ukraine.

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

Nevertheless, the band leader managed to evade the Moscow police by disguising herself as a meals courier and leaving her phone behind as a decoy.

She was then able to cross into Lithuania after searching for the help 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 Instances: "I was happy that I made it, because it was an unpredictable and massive kiss-off to the Russian authorities.

"I still don't perceive utterly what I've done."

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Ms Alyokhina added: "I don't assume Russia has a right to exist anymore.

"Even earlier than, there were questions about how it's united, by what values it is united, and the place it is going. But 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 jail camp and protests going down in Russia.