Former Pussy Riot member says FSB coerced her into spying on activists: Germany probes Russian-linked weapons cache near Berlin

Margarita Konovalova, a former member of the Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot, revealed in interviews published Aug. 25 that she was coerced into working as an agent for Russia’s FSB after a raid on her apartment in February 2023. Speaking under the alias Rita Flores, Konovalova said FSB officers confiscated her phone and computer, then threatened her family and subjected her to psychological abuse to force her cooperation.

Konovalova described being pressured to gather intelligence on political activists and artists, including fellow Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina, street artist Philipp Kozlov, and Pavel Krisevich. She said the FSB later demanded she help lure activist and Mediazona co-founder Pjotr Verzilov to Serbia, where he was to be killed. Verzilov, in a statement to Kyiv Independent, said the FSB had attempted to kill him in multiple countries over the past decade, linking the efforts to his work opposing Russia’s war in Ukraine .

The activist signed a confidentiality agreement under duress and received an initial payment of 30,000 rubles in cash, followed by recurring payments for her work. She said her tasks included compiling dossiers on targets’ personal lives, vulnerabilities, and associations. Konovalova, who operated under the cover name “Harley,” reported developing depression and PTSD during her three years with the FSB. She fled Russia with the help of lawyer Dmitri Zajvatov, though her current location remains undisclosed .

Separately, German authorities confirmed the discovery of a weapons cache near Berlin, allegedly tied to a Russian-directed agent network. A 24-year-old Ukrainian national, Vadym S., is suspected of transporting pistols to a wooded area near Müggelsee in October 2025, then sharing photos and coordinates with handlers. Romanian justice documents cited by Der Spiegel indicate S. was later arrested in Bucharest after attempting to send packages containing incendiary devices via Nova Post. Romanian intelligence classifies him as part of a “far-reaching network of saboteurs” acting on Russian orders .

Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the case as suspected preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state. The weapons were reportedly intended for agents to carry out operations, including assassinations, in Germany.