Ex-Pussy Riot Member Says She Was Recruited by Russia to Spy on Artists

Margarita Konovalova, formerly known as Rita Flores, the former member of the Russian punk feminist collective Pussy Riot, has accused the Russian security agency FSB of recruiting her to spy on other dissident artists for the past three years. She made these shocking revelations in an interview with an independent news outlet for dissident Russian journalists, Port Media, during her recent escape from Russia.

Konovalova recounted the terrifying moment when an FSB officer raided her apartment in February 2023, wherein she was detained and coerced into cooperation under threats. She described the chilling experience as if it were from a movie: "they sat me down at the table, I couldn't move, I couldn't look away." The FSB allegedly used various intimidating tactics, including threats, mockery, and the threat to her family's life, to force her into spying.

Furthermore, Konovalova alleged that she was threatened with criminal prosecution for criticizing the casualties during the Battle of Bucha, an event during the Russian offensive in Kyiv in 2022. She signed a non-disclosure agreement and provided additional paperwork outlining her cooperation with the FSB. Subsequently, she was reportedly tasked with researching and writing profiles on contemporary artists for the security service.

Konovalova also claimed that the FSB confiscated all her documents, except her Russian internal passport.