{
  "id": 3086866,
  "title": "Ex-Pussy Riot member Rita Flores says she cooperated with the FSB for nearly three years before escaping Russia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/ex-pussy-riot-member-rita-flores-says-she-cooperated-with-the-fsb-for",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T18:53:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Insider",
    "slug": "the-insider",
    "url": "https://theins.press/en/news/296386"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former member of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, Rita Flores, claims she was coerced by the FSB to collaborate with them for nearly three years before escaping the country. In February 2023, officers threatened her with criminal prosecution and physical harm to her loved ones. During this period, Flores allegedly provided the FSB with sensitive information about artists and political activists.\n\nFlores was assigned the code name \"Harley\" by the FSB and given a handler named Ivan. She was first tasked with creating profiles on contemporary artists and potential law enforcement targets. Later, she was assigned to help plan the assassination of former Mediazona publisher and fellow Pussy Riot member, Pyotr Verzilov. The reward for successfully carrying out the operation was up to 3 million rubles ($36,000). Flores refused to participate, and with the help of lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov, she managed to escape Russia. Zakhvatov, who had previously assisted Flores in avoiding surveillance, emphasized the importance of recovering her passport and warned that the plan lacked credibility, as he knew of the close relationship between Flores and Verzilov.",
  "summary": "Former Pussy Riot member Rita Flores has stated that in February 2023, officers from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) coerced her into cooperating with them by using threats of criminal prosecution and physical violence against her and her loved ones. According to Flores, in the years that followed she passed information about artists and political activists to the security service.…",
  "key_points": [
    "Rita Flores, ex-Pussy Riot member, cooperated with FSB for 3 years",
    "Threatened with criminal prosecution and harm to loved ones",
    "Refused to participate in assassination plot, escaped with lawyer's help"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Meduza (English)",
        "title": "Ex-Pussy Riot member says FSB coerced her into three years of informing on Russian artists and activists, then told her to help kidnap and kill Pyotr Verzilov",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/ex-pussy-riot-member-says-fsb-coerced-her-into-three-years-of",
        "published": "2026-08-24T18:49:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Kyiv Independent",
        "title": "Former Pussy Riot member escapes Russia after 3 years of forced work for FSB",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/former-pussy-riot-member-escapes-russia-after-3-years-of-forced-work",
        "published": "2026-08-24T18:57:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ukrinform - Politics",
        "title": "Over 50 UN member states call on Russia to agree to full, unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/over-50-un-member-states-call-on-russia-to-agree-to-full",
        "published": "2026-08-24T20:06:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}