According to United24 Media, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) recruited Nomma Zarubina in 2020. Her codename was Alyssa.
In 2022 she publicly claimed to oppose President Vladimir Putin’s government and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Zarubina spoke out against the war and even joined an anti-war protest in New York in 2023.
In reality, her assignment was to build connections with influential Americans and bring them within the reach of Kremlin intelligence.
According to the report, Zarubina attended seminars, panel discussions and other events in order to network with academics, politicians and journalists. The aim was to establish useful contacts and pass information about them to the FSB.
Those individuals could later have been targeted for influence operations.
Messages later uncovered from Zarubina revealed a wider espionage network stretching across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North America.
The agent was in contact with FSB lieutenant colonel Roman Sumarokov. In private messages, Sumarokov reportedly boasted about his promotions, sent sexually suggestive photos of himself and at the same time directed the spy operation.
In one exchange with another FSB agent, Zarubina said she had found a romantic partner.
“Nomma, tell me how much you’ve had to drink,” the agent asked.
Her habit of sending messages while intoxicated ultimately led to her arrest. Zarubina reportedly sent at least 50 drunken messages to the FBI agent investigating her activities. Some of the messages were threatening.
The Russian woman later said she agreed to questioning only because she had developed feelings for the FBI agent.
“Catch me baby,” Zarubina wrote to the agent at 4:17 a.m. last September.
The case helped expose several Russians working for the FSB. Among them was Roman Tshukov, founder of the leadership network Friends for Leadership, which investigators say was actually used to recruit spies.
According to Zarubina, the Russian Orthodox Church in New York was also used to support intelligence activities.
She is currently being held in pre-trial detention.
