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Bloomberg
Prosecutors in the case against accused Russian agent Maria Butina are opposing move to release the defendant on bond, calling into question her ties to the US and highlighting Russian efforts to win her release.
Those efforts have included six consular visits with Butina, delivery of four diplomatic notes to the US State Department , and direct complaints to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo by Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to a court filing.
“The official Kremlin Twitter account changed its avatar to the defendant’s face and started a #FreeMariaButina hashtag,†prosecutors said. Butina’s prosecution has also been criticised on the Russian-controlled RT television network.
Butina, a gun-rights advocate who came to the US on a student visa, has been in custody since her July arrest after prosecutors alleged that she had ties to Russia’s intelligence services and oligarchs capable of providing her a way out of the country. She’s accused of trying to establish back-channel connections between Russia and the US, and has denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors say that while at American University in Washington, Butina attempted to make contact with two presidential candidates and exert influence over politics through prominent conservative groups, which media accounts have identified as the National Rifle Association and the National Prayer Breakfast.
Prosecutors also contradicted defense assertions that her relationship with an individual identified as “US Person 1†would keep her in the US, should she win her release.