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 came to the attention of the Russian authorities after staging a protest in opposition to the Russian president inside Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral in 2012.

Regardless of being sentenced to 2 years in prison for his or her activism, the group continued to talk out against the Kremlin leader, with Ms Alyokhina remaining determined to combat Mr Putin's system.

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

In April, Russian authorities placed her under home arrest as they tried to stop these within the nation 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 phone behind as a decoy.

She was then in a position 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 Times: "I used to be blissful that I made it, because it was an unpredictable and big kiss-off to the Russian authorities.

"I still do not understand fully what I've done."

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Ms Alyokhina added: "I do not assume Russia has a right to exist anymore.

"Even before, there have been questions about how it is united, by what values it's united, and where it is going. However now I don't suppose 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.