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 meals courier after criticising Vladimir Putin.

Maria Alyokhina and her fellow band members first came to the eye 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 prison for their activism, the group continued to speak out towards the Kremlin chief, with Ms Alyokhina remaining decided to battle Mr Putin's system.

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

In April, Russian authorities positioned her beneath 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.

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

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

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Comparing her story to a "spy novel", Ms Alyokhina informed The New York Instances: "I was completely satisfied that I made it, because it was an unpredictable and large kiss-off to the Russian authorities.

"I nonetheless do not understand utterly what I've finished."

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

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

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