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Father says Russian national Butina incarcerated in US is well

Maria had been unable to contact her family for a week

Maria Butina AP Photo/Pavel Ptitsin

Maria Butina

© AP Photo/Pavel Ptitsin

BARNAUL, January 22. /TASS/. Russian national Maria Butina, arrested in the United States on charges of conspiracy and acting as a foreign agent, has contacted her family in Russia after a period of silence, her father Valery Butin told TASS on Tuesday.

According to him, Maria said she was well, while the proper temperature had been restored in her cell.

Butina had been unable to contact her family for a week. In addition, her father said she had complained it was cold in her cell, so her family members are concerned about her health.

"This morning… Maria managed to get through to her mom… There are no problems, she says she feels quite well, the cell temperature has been increased… When cold weather sets in, they don’t always manage to adjust the heating system’s settings in time," Valery Butin said.

He added that there still was not enough money to pay the lawyer’s fees. According to earlier reports, the family needs about 30 mln rubles ($436,000) for that purpose.

Butina case

Maria Butina, 30, was arrested in Washington DC on July 15, 2018, right before the Helsinki meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump. The US Department of Justice said that she was suspected of acting "as an agent of Russia inside the United States by developing relationships with US persons and infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation."

On July 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov demanded in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo that Butina be released as soon as possible. He also slammed all charges brought against her as fabricated.

On December 13, Butina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the US law governing foreign agents operating in the country. The next court hearing is scheduled for February 12, 2019.

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