Key facts
- Rita Flores, a former Pussy Riot member, claims she was recruited by Russia's FSB security service.
- She alleges FSB officers threatened her and her family to secure her cooperation.
- Flores was tasked with informing on fellow activists and artists.
- Her handlers allegedly proposed a plot to kidnap and murder activist Pyotr Verzilov in Serbia.
- Flores fled Russia last month and has publicly detailed her experience.
- She believes recruitments in activist circles are a widespread phenomenon.
Rita Flores, a 29-year-old Russian artist and former member of the Pussy Riot collective, has publicly detailed her alleged three-year recruitment and handling by Russia's FSB security service. She claims she was coerced into cooperation through threats against her family and herself, and was subsequently tasked with informing on fellow activists and artists.
Flores, also known as Margarita Konovalova, has been associated with Pussy Riot since 2020. She stated that after multiple detentions and surveillance, two men identifying as FSB officers approached her in February 2023. They allegedly threatened to open a criminal case against her for an Instagram post criticizing Russian actions in Ukraine and suggested they could arrange for her mother's death if she did not sign cooperation papers. Flores stated her fear was too great and she signed, receiving a one-off cash payment of 30,000 to 40,000 roubles.
Her handlers, referred to as 'the Jacket' and 'Ivan', reportedly employed a good-cop, bad-cop strategy. Flores described 'the Jacket' as rude and threatening, while 'Ivan' was more friendly but also made severe threats, including that she would be 're-educated' to become an 'obedient wife'. Flores claims she initially told about 20 people about her recruitment but avoided reporting on the artists she was meant to target, instead initiating conflicts to distance herself.
In May, her handlers began inquiring about Pyotr Verzilov, an activist living in Ukraine. Flores alleges they proposed a plan for her to lure Verzilov to Serbia, where an FSB squad would kidnap and murder him. She was offered 50,000 roubles a month for her involvement in this plot. Flores stated she married her partner in September, partly to use as an excuse to avoid the Serbia trip. She contacted lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov, who helped her realize she could leave the country. Flores fled Russia at the end of August.
In a video discussion with Zakhvatov published shortly after her departure, Flores explained her hope that coming clean would embolden others in similar situations. In her first media interview since leaving Russia, she expressed relief and calm. She believes such recruitments are a "mass phenomenon" within activist circles and noted that many protest-minded artists have already left Russia. The Guardian stated it could not corroborate the details of Flores's account, but acknowledged numerous cases of the FSB infiltrating opposition groups.