Russian US arrests accused of being Moscow's secret agent

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Maria Butina, who studied at the American University in Washington, was arrested on Sunday and charged with the crime of conspiracy. She filed a federal court in the capital on Monday, and will be arrested at least until Wednesday, when another hearing will take place.

According to the Ministry of Justice, Butina violated US law by not informing the authorities that she was acting in the United States on behalf of the Russian government.

In a statement, the agency said that the Russian "has developed relations with the American people and organizations infiltrated with influence in US politics, in order to promote the interests of the Russian Federation. "

Among the organizations, there would be the National Rifle Association (NRA), a group of lobbyists in the arms industry. Butina is known for her pro-arms activism, having founded the Russian pro-arms group Right to Bear Arms.

According to the prosecution, Butina allegedly organized dinners in Washington and New York and tried to develop relations with American politicians. of irregular communication between the two countries in order to "penetrate the national decision-making apparatus of the United States."

He would also have close ties with a large Russian authority, who would have guided him during the operations. The US Department of Justice has not identified who it would be, claiming only to have links with the Central Bank of Russia and to be a recent target of US sanctions.

The press speculates that it is about Alexander Torshin, deputy head of the Russian financial institution and who was sanctioned in April by the US Treasury. An anonymous source told Reuters that the Butina news agency was working as a Torshin badistant.

According to the indictment, an unidentified US citizen near Butina allegedly participated in the creation of a "private communication line" between the Kremlin and important members of the Kremlin. a US political party before the 2016 presidential elections.

The document does not specify the legend but provides details that seem to relate to the Republican Party of President Donald Trump – the US leader is also mentioned nowhere in The indictment However, according to the New York Times, Butina reportedly attempted to address twice secret meetings between presidential candidate Trump and President Vladimir Putin during the election campaign two years ago

Trump-Putin meeting

The accusations surfaced the same day that the two leaders held a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, in which Putin denied that Moscow has was acting to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election – a version that Trump also defended.

At a press conference after the meeting, the Republican said that the investigation into the alleged interference is "a disaster" for the United States and "there is no reason for it." There is no reason to believe "that Russia was involved in the case, as it has accused the US intelligence service. "19659006" I have great confidence in my intelligence team, but I have to say "The position of the US leader alongside Putin has been condemned by several US officials, including Republican and MPs. opposition, who called it "shameful" and " Missed Opportunity. "Moscow.

Investigations into alleged Russian interference, as well as possible links between Trump and the government in Moscow last week led to the indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officers They were accused of invading the computers of the Democratic Party campaign in the 2016 elections.

Previously, US intelligence agencies had previously suggested that Russian interference was intended to promote the Trump's campaign, which finally won the trial.

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