2 Pussy Riot members flee Russia to escape arrest

Demonstrators hold banners in support of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot during a protest in Milan, Italy, Friday Aug. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

MOSCOW -- The Russian punk band Pussy Riot says two activists who were being sought by police have left the country.

Five members of the feminist group took part in a provocative performance inside Moscow's main cathedral in February to protest Vladimir Putin's rule and his cozy relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The women wore their trademark balaclavas and only three were identified and arrested. After a controversial trial, they were sentenced Aug. 17 to two years in prison.

Days later, Moscow police said they were searching for the others, in what was seen as a warning to the group to stop its anti-Putin protests.

Pussy Riot tweeted on Sunday that the two activists had fled Russia and are "recruiting foreign feminists to prepare new protest actions."