Maria Butina says she was a "builder of peace". That's not how the feds see it: NPR

Maria Butina says that all this is a big misunderstanding.

Was it part of the Russian government's vast effort to influence politics in the United States?

"Absolutely not," she said.

The Russian woman who pleaded guilty to conspiring to serve as a foreign agent in the United States said that she simply did not know that she was supposed to register.

With regard to the intelligence services, the provocative agents or whatever it was accused of, Butina said that those who accused her did not know her.

"It would not be appropriate to say that all this was a big giant plan and that I'm part of a giant plan," she said Thursday. "There is no evidence of that, and I do not know that there is a certain plan."

Butina has been nurtured by phone with NPR during an exclusive interview in the detention center located near Washington, DC, where she has been in custody since her arrest last summer.

She noted that she was not mentioned in the redacted version of Special Advocate Robert Mueller's report and that she knew nothing of electoral interference beyond from what she had seen in the press.

Butina said that all she wanted was to be a "peace factor" between Russia and the United States.

"I never hide my love from my motherland nor from this country … I love both countries and I was building peace."

The federal point of view

The US government has a different vision of all of this.

Butina, although not seeking to become one, eventually became a de facto intelligence element, seeking not only to establish clandestine links between the Russian regime and influential Americans, but also to identify potential topics for follow-up. others spies.

Intelligence officers call this "spotting and evaluating", and spying can be as important as stealing secret information – identifying who holds them and who might be a good candidate to attract more spies' attention.

"Acquiring valuable information for a foreign power does not necessarily involve the collection of classified documents or participation in concealment activities," prosecutors at the Ministry of Justice wrote before Butina was sentenced to 18 years. months in prison.

"Something as fundamental as the identification of people who have the ability to influence policy in favor of a foreign power is extremely attractive to these powers. This identification could form the basis other forms of intelligence or targeting operations in the future. "

In 2010, the FBI drove out a whole network of spies who had interfered in American life seeking to identify appropriate recruitment targets. In this case, the Russian intelligence service, SVR, was responsible for the deployment and management of the network.

Butina was specifically asked if she was part of an evaluation and evaluation effort, and she replied in the negative: "It makes me think that it is … perhaps a speculation that has no evidence. "

"Similar hobbies"

Butina has acknowledged working with her now sanctioned mentor, Russian politician Alexander Torshin, but she denied that he is "controlled" by him or that he plays an intelligence role.

Yes, Butina sent Torshin notes about what she was doing, she said, but she did not know where the information she had provided was, or whether it was useful to Russian leaders.

Yes, Butina said that she was looking to meet with US officials, conservative political leaders and others, but that some were so unimportant that she could not recall the details and that she was not the only one. in general, its purpose was to build bridges between the United States and Russia.

"I think we should have peace between the two countries," she said.

"It's my goal from all the way, I believe that relationships and their strength (…) depend on people, what they call civil diplomacy, people who share the same interests. Similar spirits, like people who, let's say … who are Christians who share faith – or people who share the love of guns. "That's exactly the point at which I am I was building an unofficial communication on civil diplomacy. "

Firearms were an important source of commonality in Butina's work.

Butina's boyfriend, Paul Erickson, sent an email to the leaders of Donald Trump's presidential campaign in the spring of 2016, offering them to serve as a return channel between them and Moscow via the National Rifle Association – a bridge that eventually , was leading nowhere.

The clandestine nature of this action, however, had always been obvious to Butina and her mentor and manager. At one point, Torshin sent her a message comparing her to one of the "stowaways" who had been expelled years ago – the woman who was known as Anna Chapman.

And when Butina attended Trump's inauguration, Torshin sent her a message greeting her as a "break-neck girl".

In her interview Thursday, Butina acknowledged a note that investigators found that she had referred to the Russian intelligence service, the FSB. She said that the reason she and Erickson had had it was to anticipate any questions upon her return to Russia.

And if her "peace building" had succeeded and the FSB had asked her about it, she said.

"It's kind of a question you do not … ignore," Butina said. "So, how do you answer that question?"

Erickson faces allegations of federal investment fraud in his home state of South Dakota, but has not been charged with any crimes related to Butina or their political plans . He pleaded not guilty in the South Dakota case and his lawyers say he did nothing wrong.

Meanwhile, the Russian government has been supporting Butina since her arrest.

The consular authorities visited her in prison – which she said was a surprise – and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made her a well – known cause in her official media.

The Russian authorities also arrested an American, Paul Whelan, and accused him of espionage in a case that presumed that this could be a perfect answer to Butina's arrest.

The discussion for a while focused on the idea that the Russian government might want to have an American to exchange Butina at the time of his release and his return home, although it is still unclear whether a exchange could take place.

Whelan remains in detention in Russia.

The new house of Butina

Butina is about to leave her cell outside Washington, DC, to visit a federal prison, where she will serve an additional nine months before being deported.

Time spent in detention does not bother her as much as the commotion caused by her story, she said.

"I am embarrassed that instead of creating peace, by not recording, I have created discord – that is what I will wear for my whole life", has said Butina. "That's what makes me the most upset, not the 18 months I've had, although it's painful for my family."

When Butina returns to Russia, she says, she will return to Siberia, where she grew up, and will try to become a teacher, although what will happen will not be clear now.

"I'll probably need a sabbatical," she said, because in recent years "have been a very colorful emotional experience."

NPR's Sam Gringlas produced this interview for broadcast, and NPR's Jolie Myers published it for broadcast. NPR National Security Editor Philip Ewing contributed to this digital story.