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

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

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

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

In April, Russian authorities placed her under house arrest as they tried to stop those within the nation 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 food courier and leaving her cellphone behind as a decoy.

She was then able to cross into Lithuania after seeking 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 informed The New York Instances: "I used to be glad that I made it, as a result of it was an unpredictable and big kiss-off to the Russian authorities.

"I nonetheless do not understand completely what I've completed."

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

"Even earlier than, there have been questions about how it is united, by what values it's united, and the place it is going. However now I don't suppose that may be a question anymore."

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