Ex-Pussy Riot Member Says She Was Forced to Spy for Russia’s FSB

A former member of Russian protest group Pussy Riot says she was forced to work as an informant for the country’s FSB security service for nearly three years after being threatened by agents. 

Pussy Riot is a feminist collective known for provocative performances opposing President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. The group has repeatedly condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine, while several of its members have been jailed, prosecuted or forced into exile over their activism.  

Rita Flores, whose real name is Margarita Konovalova, said in an interview published by Russian outlet Port on Monday that she was recruited after security officers searched her Moscow apartment in February 2023.  

Flores went public with her account after leaving Russia earlier this month. 

She said agents threatened to harm her relatives and told her that she could be prosecuted or even “disappear without a trace” if she refused to cooperate.  

Flores said she was given the codename “Harley” and tasked with gathering information on artists and political activists, including fellow Pussy Riot members.  

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She added that the FSB sought information about the contacts, habits and vulnerabilities of the people it was spying on. 

Flores also said that last summer, the FSB asked her to help lure Pyotr Verzilov, Pussy Riot’s unofficial spokesperson, to Serbia as part of an alleged plot to kidnap and kill him.  

Instead, she contacted a lawyer who helped her plan her eventual escape from Russia.  

A Moscow court last December designated Pussy Riot an “extremist organization” and prohibited its activities in Russia.