In 2020, Maria Kolesnikova — alongside activists  Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Veronika Tsepkalo — was a key figure in the Belarusian opposition, set against the country's strongman leader  Alexander Lukashenko . During anti-government protests, Belarusian authorities detained Kolesnikova and took her to the Ukrainian border for expulsion. However, in the neutral zone, she broke away from security forces, ripped up her passport, making legal border crossing impossible, and fled on foot back to