Pussy Riot Leader Maria V. Alyokhina Has Escaped Russia
Pussy Riot, made an escape from her home country that reads like a modern spy thriller.Disguised as a food delivery worker and leaving her cell phone behind, Alyokhina evaded police attention as she left her friend’s Moscow apartment, the artist told The New York Times.From there, Alyokhina, 33, caught a ride with a friend who took her to the border of Belarus, from where she eventually made her way into Lithuania.
But getting across that second border proved to be a challenge. The first time she attempted to cross it, she was held for hours by Belarusian border guards who eventually sent her back.
The second time she was simply turned away. On the third attempt, however, she finally made it across with the help of a friend, Icelandic performance artist Ragnar Kjartansson.
He advocated on Alyokhina’s behalf to an unnamed European country, which ultimately issued her a travel document conveying the status of an E.U.
