Ex-Pussy Riot member Rita Flores reveals three years of coerced informant work for Russia's FSB
Russian artist and activist Rita Flores disclosed that the FSB forced her into espionage against fellow Kremlin critics for three years before she escaped abroad in August.
Coerced recruitment in Moscow
Russian artist and activist Rita Flores, also known as Margarita Konovalova, revealed details of three years spent operating as an informant for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). Flores first drew police attention in 2020 following a protest performance near the Kremlin as part of the feminist collective Pussy Riot. Over the subsequent years, Russian authorities subjected her to repeated house searches, electronic surveillance, and multiple short detention terms in jail. Pressure intensified following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when Russian security agencies widened crackdowns on public anti-war dissent.
In February 2023, following another police raid on her residence, two men remained in her apartment and identified themselves as FSB officers. They threatened Flores with criminal prosecution under wartime censorship legislation over an Instagram post in which she had criticized Russian military killings in Ukraine. The officers also told her they could arrange to have her mother murdered if she refused to sign formal cooperation documents. Under duress, Flores signed the agreement, received a one-off cash payment of 30,000 to 40,000 roubles (roughly 400 euros), and was assigned the informant codename Harley.
I believed them. I believed they could do everything they said they would... My fear was too great. I was so worried for my family and also for myself.
Intelligence tasks and target operations
Flores operated under the direction of two dedicated FSB handlers who alternated between direct intimidation and attempts to build personal rapport. Her initial directives focused on domestic cultural networks in Moscow. Handlers instructed her to extract private information and political views from protest-minded artists, denouncing figures who expressed hostility toward the Kremlin.
The operational scope subsequently expanded to target prominent Russian dissidents operating outside the country. FSB handlers ordered Flores to gather specific intelligence on Pyotr Verzilov, a former Pussy Riot associate who relocated to Ukraine to serve in the Ukrainian military. The officers sought Verzilov's exact residential address and daily routines, directing Flores to convince him to travel to Serbia for an in-person meeting. According to Flores, the intelligence agency planned to use the rendezvous in Serbia to facilitate Verzilov's abduction and murder.
- Flores is detained near the Kremlin after participating in Pussy Riot actions.
- Russian authorities increase surveillance of activists following the invasion of Ukraine.
- FSB officers recruit Flores under threat of prison and family harm.
- Flores flees Russia and publishes a video detailing her intelligence role with lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov.
- Flores details handler orders and the plot targeting Pyotr Verzilov in a media interview.
Escape from Russia and public disclosure
Flores broke contact with the security agency by fleeing Russia at the end of August 2026. Only days after crossing the border, she published a video discussion alongside her defense lawyer, Dmitry Zakhvatov, publicly disclosing her three years of intelligence work. Flores stated that she chose to reveal the details in order to encourage other coerced activists and informants inside Russia to sever ties with the security apparatus.
In her first media interview since leaving the country, Flores described the relief of escaping constant FSB surveillance and handler control.
For the first time in years, I feel calm. All this time I was dreaming about getting out and being able to talk about it all.
