PARIS, January 22. /TASS/. An employee of the Russian consulate office in France has managed to visit Anna Novikova, the founder of a humanitarian association supporting Donbass, in jail, the Russian embassy told TASS.

"The embassy obtained a French authorization to visit Anna Novikova, who was detained in France in November of last year and holds French citizenship while also being a Russian national. Our consular officer has visited Novikova at Fleury-Merogis Prison outside Paris to inspect her conditions of detention and render any necessary assistance to her," an embassy employee said. The Russian diplomatic mission added that it was monitoring the situation closely while being in ongoing contact with Novikova’s lawyer.

Earlier, Novikova’s lawyer told TASS that he would petition for her release from prison for the duration of the investigation, which may take years. He described the charges brought against Novikova as "very serious," as he said that she may face between 10 and 30 years behind bars, depending on how the sentence is formulated. He also opined there may be a political bias to the Novikova case in light of strained relations between Russia and France, saying that his client "has requested comprehensive assistance and support from Russia."

SOS Donbass case

In November, the French media reported about the arrest of two representatives of SOS Donbass, a France-based group that campaigns for the support of people affected by the hostilities in the Donbass area. Later, news came about the arrest of two more people, one of whom was released under judicial control measures.

Paris prosecutors told TASS that the suspects in the probe may face up to 15 years in prison.

The SOS Donbass group has already dispatched several humanitarian convoys to the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic.