ST. PETERSBURG, September 25. /TASS/. Maria Butina, a Russian national who has been in custody in the United States since mid-June, was not going to leave the United States but was planning to move to South Dakota, Butina’s sister Marina told TASS on Tuesday.

According to media reports, US law enforcers who searched Butina’s house found boxes with packed belongings, which fact, in their opinion, indicated her plans to leave the United States and go back to Russia.

"I spoke with her shortly before the incident. Several days before it, she sounded happy, being busy with job hunting after the university and having finally been granted a work permit. Her apartment lease was ending in late July and she packed her things to move to South Dakota," Marina said, adding that after receiving the master’s degree at the Washington-based American University her sister planned to find a job in the United States to use her knowledge in practice.

According to Marina Butina, a special fund has been set up to ensure protection her sister’s rights. "The fund was established by Maria’s American attorneys, since the services of highly qualified lawyers are very costly. Maria’s attorneys are professionals but the prosecution has given a huge amount of information that needs to be thoroughly verified. We need money to ensure her protection, so we ask all those who are not indifferent to her fate to help us in this difficult and absurd situation," he said.

Marina said she was sure her sister had found herself hostage to the United States’ domestic political processes. "I think the situation around Maria’s arrest stems from political squabbles in the United States. I think it is evident to many that Maria’s case is a matter of internal politics and has a contrived character," said Butina’s sister.

She stressed that media allegations that her sister had parted with her American boyfriend, Paul Erickson, were not true. "Mass media said they had parted after four years of relationship. It is not true. They never parted. They are together and he is supporting her," Marina added.

Maria Butina’s arrest

Maria Butina, 29, entered the US in August 2016 on a student visa and took up studies at the American University. She received the master’s degree in international relations in May 2018.

She was arrested in Washington DC on July 15. The Russian gun rights activist faces charges of conspiracy for conducting activities in the interests of a foreign state. According to the US Department of Justice, she is 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."

In a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on July 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov demanded Butina’s early release from custody stressing that charges against her were trumped-up. For her part, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would continue work to protect Butina’s rights and legitimate interests.