Ex-Pussy Riot Member Claims FSB Forced Her to Spy on Artists

Margarita Konovalova, formerly known as Rita Flores in the Russian punk feminist band and anti-Putin artist collective Pussy Riot, has come forward with allegations that she was coerced into spying on dissident artists for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). In an exclusive interview with Port Media, an independent outlet for dissident Russian journalists, Konovalova detailed how she was threatened and manipulated into cooperation after an FSB officer raided her apartment in February 2023. She described being detained and subjected to intimidation, including threats against her family and herself, as well as insinuations about her mother's death. The artist also faced the threat of criminal prosecution over social media posts criticizing the Battle of Bucha, part of the 2022 Russian offensive in Kyiv. Konovalova signed a non-disclosure agreement and additional paperwork outlining her cooperation, after which she was tasked with researching and writing profiles on contemporary artists for the security service. She claims the FSB seized all her documents except her Russian internal passport. Having fled Russia earlier this month with the help of her lawyer, Konovalova spoke publicly for the first time about her ordeal, shedding light on the FSB's tactics of recruiting artists and activists to surveil their peers. Her account underscores the perilous environment for dissident voices in Russia and the lengths the state will go to suppress opposition.