The leader of the Russian feminist group and collective Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina, has joined thousands of Russians who have fled their country since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine on February 24.
In accordance with New York TimesAlyokhina managed to escape with foreign help and her friends, disguised as a food delivery woman to avoid being a victim of the increasing repression that Putin has imposed since the siege of Ukraine began.
Alyokhina, 33, drew the attention of the Russian authorities and the world for the first time when the group she leads organized a protest against the authoritarianism exercised by Putin, at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, in 2012.
In less than a year, the musician and activist was arrested six times, before being sentenced to a year of house arrest for protesting in support of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in September 2021.
However, now that Putin has tightened repression against any criticism of the war, at the end of April, a Moscow court ordered the arrest of the Pussy Riot singer for violating the terms of her probation, sentencing her to spend 21 days in prison.
Upon learning that the house arrest would have been commuted to a prison sentence, Alyokhina decided to flee Russia to take refuge in Lithuania. The news was reported by The New York Times, which also recounted in detail the ingenious strategy used by the activist and dissident to cross the Russian border, at least temporarily, without being caught by the authorities.
Alyokhina, who was hiding in a friend’s apartment in Moscow, declared herself a fugitive after she managed to escape disguised as a food delivery woman. Also, she left her mobile phone to avoid being tracked. With the help of a friend, she managed to reach the Belarusian border and it took her a week to cross into Lithuania, where she agreed to be interviewed by the American media.
Source: Okchicas

With 6 years of experience, I bring to the table captivating and informative writing in the world news category. My expertise covers a range of industries, including tourism, technology, forex and stocks. From brief social media posts to in-depth articles, I am dedicated to creating compelling content for various platforms.