A Russian national, Nomma Zarubina, has been arrested on possible charges of providing false information to U.S. law enforcement and maintaining connections with Russian intelligence services, linking her to another suspected spy who fled the United States while being pursued by authorities.
According to FBI allegations presented in a New York Southern District Court hearing in late November, Zarubina was recruited by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in 2020 and operated under the codename "Alyssa."
She allegedly worked to build a network of contacts among journalists and experts while carrying out tasks for an FSB officer from her native city of Tomsk in Siberia.
The FBI claims that Zarubina deliberately misled agents in 2021, denying any connection with Russian intelligence. Contrary to her statements, she allegedly attended forums and meetings in Europe and the United States to fulfill assignments from the FSB.
Notably, self-exiled Russian opposition figure Leonid Volkov said on Facebook on December 2 that he saw Zarubina at a Washington gathering with his supporters in January 2023.
The case also links Zarubina to Elena Branson (aka Chernykh), the head of the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in the United States, who was charged in 2022 for illegal activities on behalf of Russian intelligence.
Branson, who fled the United States after police searched her New York apartment at the time and is believed to be currently in Russia, has reportedly mentored Zarubina since 2016.
Zarubina has been released on $25,000 bail, with restrictions barring her from leaving New York, contacting Russian officials, and surrendering her passport. She said her bail was guaranteed by a third party, but did not say who the party was.
Zarubina has maintained an active public profile, often participating as an expert at conferences, such as the Forum of Free States of Post-Russia.
SEE ALSO: Russia Declares Forum Advocating Regional Autonomy A Terrorist OrganizationIn social media posts, she speculated about Siberia’s political future, advocating for a United States of Siberia.
Despite her public statements denying espionage, her online activity suggests a more complex narrative.
For instance, until September 2023, her profile on VKontakte included posts supporting Kremlin policies, including President Vladimir Putin’s 2014 speech on the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, a move the United Nations, the United States, and the European Union have all called illegal.
Blurred Lines
In an interview with RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, Zarubina denied working as an FSB agent but admitted to being contacted by Russian intelligence in late 2020.
She described being coerced into a meeting with FSB officers in Tomsk, where she discussed her personal background and was subsequently monitored by them. Zarubina asserts that she also contacted the FBI in April 2021 to cooperate, sharing insights on various topics, including Ukraine, and has continued to meet with them.
Zarubina says she did not expect that FBI would arrest her, stating, "I thought we had good relations; I was helping them. I didn’t expect them to use my information against me."
She fears reprisal from Russian intelligence, which she believes was unaware of her cooperation with U.S. authorities. "This is no longer about false testimony -- it’s treason in their eyes," she said.
Zarubina’s case underscores the complexities of modern espionage and influence operations.
Her alleged dual involvement with Russian and U.S. intelligence highlights the blurred lines between cooperation and subversion. The mention of her internship at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and her outreach to opposition activists adds to her narrative.
While Zarubina downplays the risk of deportation, citing her American-born daughter, the case is a test of the U.S. judicial system’s ability to handle allegations involving foreign intelligence activities.