Rita Flores, a Russian artist formerly associated with the activist group Pussy Riot, has publicly stated she was coerced into working as an informant for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). In her first media interview since leaving Russia in late August, Flores detailed allegations that she was recruited in February 2023 and spent three years providing information on fellow activists.
Flores, also known as Margarita Konovalova, first made the claims in a video discussion with her lawyer, Dmitry Zakhvatov, released shortly after her departure from the country.
According to her account, two FSB officers recruited her following a police search of her home. Flores stated the officers threatened to pursue a criminal case against her under wartime censorship laws related to an Instagram post critical of Russian military actions in Ukraine. She also alleged they made threats against her mother’s safety if she refused to cooperate.
“My fear was too great,” Flores said in an interview with The Guardian. “I was so worried for my family and also for myself.”
Flores said her initial tasks involved gathering information on other artists and activists in her social circles. She described being managed by two handlers, a senior officer and a junior officer she knew as Ivan. She stated the junior officer became her primary contact and used a combination of friendly approaches and threats to maintain her cooperation.
As part of her work, Flores claimed she received periodic cash payments. She stated that as many protest-minded artists left Russia, her handlers’ focus shifted. Last May, she alleged, they began asking for information about Pyotr Verzilov, another activist previously linked to Pussy Riot who is now with Ukrainian forces.
Flores claimed her handlers proposed a plan for her to arrange a meeting with Verzilov in Serbia, where they said an FSB team would kidnap and kill him. She stated she was offered monthly payments as an incentive to assist with the plan. Flores said she began planning her exit from Russia and used her recent marriage as a reason to decline the assignment.
With assistance from her lawyer, Flores left Russia. Zakhvatov told The Guardian that security services “created a reality where she felt like they controlled everything, but actually it is not that hard to leave.” Details of her departure have not been disclosed.
The media outlet that conducted the interview noted it could not independently corroborate the details of Flores’s account. There have been other documented cases of Russian opposition figures being recruited by security services.
Masha Alekhina, a fellow Pussy Riot activist, commented on the situation, stating, “It’s not a big secret that it’s not great to work for the FSB, but fear can change a person. It’s important that she’s now out of the country and that she said what happened to her out loud.”
Flores said she hopes that by speaking publicly, she might encourage others in similar situations to seek help. Her lawyer has announced a secure contact line for individuals seeking assistance to leave Russia under comparable circumstances.
