Russian diplomats meet with gun activist Butina in US jail

Representatives of the Russian Embassy in the US have visited Maria Butina, the Russian gun activist awaiting trial in a Washington jail on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of the Russian government. In a statement on Thursday, the embassy said that despite “stress and psychological pressure” the Russian citizen endured in the wake of her arrest last week, the 29-year-old feels well and is determined to prove her innocence in US court. Butina was charged by the prosecution with attempting to infiltrate the US political establishment through the National Rifle Association while acting on orders from Moscow. Butina has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. She was refused bail and placed into custody pending trial due to concerns she might flee the US.

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