In this week’s episode, host Kevin Rothrock sits down with RFE/RL senior international correspondent Mike Eckel to discuss his January 28 investigation into the bizarre case of Nomma Zarubina: The FSB, Lies, and Drunk Texting the FBI. A 35-year-old Russian woman and mother of a young daughter, Zarubina was jailed in Manhattan this past December — not for traditional espionage or even “espionage-lite,” but after a spiral of erratic behavior that included lying to the FBI about her contacts with Russia’s FSB and harassing a federal agent with drunken, late-night text messages.
In a conversation that explores the blurry legal line between cultural promotion and foreign-agent activity, Eckel unpacks how Zarubina fits into a wider “parade of fools” — a recent trend of Russian figures like Maria Butina and Elena Branson who secretly networked at the Russian state’s behest. The discussion also highlights the personal unraveling of Zarubina, whose meltdown and subsequent taunting of the FBI (“Catch me baby, so many spies”) offer a grim look at the human cost of Russia’s fringe intelligence operations.
Timestamps for this episode:
- (3:27) Details of the investigation
- (7:05) Comparisons to other Russian agents
- (17:27) Zarubina’s unusual behavior
- (20:38) The case’s legal implications and future outlook
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