‘My fear was too great’: the Pussy Riot member recruited by Russian spies to inform on fellow activists
Exclusive: In her first media interview since fleeing Russia, Rita Flores describes her three years of being run by the FSB
TL;DR
- Rita Flores, a 29-year-old Russian artist and activist formerly associated with Pussy Riot, has described her three-year recruitment and handling by Russia's FSB security service.
- She claims the FSB used blackmail, death threats against her and her mother, and the threat of criminal charges to force her cooperation after February 2023.
- Flores's tasks included informing on fellow activists and artists, eliciting personal information, and eventually assisting in a plot to kidnap and murder a Kremlin opponent, Pyotr Verzilov.
- She was given cash payments and handled by two FSB officers, one described as crude and threatening ('the Jacket') and the other as friendly but manipulative ('Ivan').
- Flores managed to escape Russia by marrying her partner, a tactic to avoid a task involving Verzilov in Serbia, and eventually left the country in August.
- She has made her story public to embolden others in similar situations and believes FSB recruitments in activist circles are widespread.
- Her lawyer, Dmitry Zakhvatov, has set up a secure line for individuals needing help to contact him.