Former Pussy Riot member says she was recruited by Russian security service to spy on dissident artists

Rita Flores, formerly a member of the punk group Pussy Riot, recently revealed in a YouTube interview that Russian security service agents pressured her to spy on dissident artists starting in 2023. She detailed threats against her family, including a claim they'd be forced to disappear, as well as personal insults. Agents raided her apartment, seizing her phone and laptop. She described feeling trapped during these surveillance sessions.

Flores alleged that Russian intelligence targeted street artist Philippenzo and performance artist Pavel Krisevich as well. She claims to have instigated conflicts with them as a tactic to avoid her own assignments. Philippenzo eventually fled Russia in 2023 due to a threat of up to three years in prison for anti-war graffiti, while Krisevich left in late 2025 after already serving three and a half years in prison.

Flores managed to escape Russia with the help of lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov and businessman Leonid Nevzlin. In her message, she expressed suicidal ideation multiple times and requested assistance from a Telegram channel set up by Zakhvatov. Pyotr Verzilov, a former Pussy Riot member, was allegedly targeted by the FSB to be abducted and killed in Serbia for 3 million rubles.

Verzilov has been labeled a terrorist in Russia for joining Ukraine's military. Flores urged anyone targeted by the FSB to seek help through Zakhvatov's Telegram channel.