Ex-Pussy Riot member says FSB recruited her after 2023 raid

September 19, 2026 at 10:33 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

A former Pussy Riot member, Margarita Konovalova, also known as Flores, said Russian Federal Security Service officers recruited her after a February 2023 search and threatened to kill her mother. She said she received 30,000 to 40,000 rubles and was tasked with gathering information on opposition-minded artists and activists. The Guardian reported it could not independently verify all details of her account.

Key Facts

Flores said two men who identified themselves as FSB officers threatened her with a criminal case over an Instagram post about Ukraine and said they could arrange her mother's murder if she refused to cooperate.
She said she received 30,000 to 40,000 rubles after signing cooperation documents and was assigned to collect information on opposition-minded artists and activists.
Flores said she told about 20 people about the cooperation almost immediately, but did not inform those she was supposed to monitor.
She left Russia at the end of August and then publicly spoke about her cooperation with the FSB.
The Guardian said it could not independently confirm all details of Flores's account.

Recruitment and Threats

Flores, also known as Margarita Konovalova, has been associated with Pussy Riot since 2020. She said the recruitment occurred after a search in February 2023, when two men who identified themselves as FSB officers threatened her with a criminal case over an Instagram post about events in Ukraine. The men said they could arrange the murder of her mother if she refused to cooperate. Flores said she believed them: "I believed that they were capable of doing everything they threatened... My fear was too great. I was very worried about my family and myself."

Handlers and Tasks

After signing cooperation documents, Flores said she received 30,000 to 40,000 rubles. Her first assignment was to collect information on opposition-minded artists and activists. Two FSB officers became her handlers and met with her regularly, using a good cop, bad cop routine. She called the older one "Pidzhak" because of his habit of wearing a shiny black suit, and the younger officer was named Ivan. Flores said Ivan tried to convince her that the FSB would "re-educate" her and that she would eventually live calmly, love Russia, have children, and become an "obedient wife."

Pressure and Departure

Flores said she was forbidden to tell anyone about the cooperation, but she told about 20 people almost immediately. She did not tell those she was supposed to monitor, and instead deliberately provoked conflicts to distance them from her and prevent them from sharing sensitive information. Psychological pressure continued throughout the cooperation, with Ivan alternating between friendliness and threats such as "They will kill your mother and you won't be able to prove anything." Flores said assignments became less frequent as most protest-minded members of the creative community left Russia. She left Russia at the end of August and then publicly spoke about her cooperation with the FSB, saying, "For the first time in several years I feel calm."