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 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 towards the Russian president inside Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral in 2012.

Regardless of being sentenced to 2 years in prison for their activism, the group continued to speak out in opposition to 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 information outlet targeted on crime and punishment in Russia, called Mediazona, with another member of the band.

In April, Russian authorities placed her below house 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 meals courier and leaving her cellphone behind as a decoy.

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

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Evaluating her story to a "spy novel", Ms Alyokhina instructed The New York Times: "I used to be completely happy that I made it, as a result of it was an unpredictable and large kiss-off to the Russian authorities.

"I nonetheless do not perceive utterly what I've performed."

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Ms Alyokhina added: "I don't 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 where it's going. But now I don't assume that is a query anymore."

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