‘Very lengthy & painful experience’: Butina in her first comments after release (VIDEO)

In her first comments after being released from a US prison, Russian gun activist Maria Butina said she is happy her ordeal is over, while expressing gratitude to everyone who has rallied behind her along the way.

Butina, who is set to touch down in Moscow around noon, has become a highly sought-after guest in Russian media, with reporters queuing for an interview with the 30-year-old aboard her Aeroflot flight home.

Speaking to RT and Sputnik, she said she was very much looking forward to returning home, while thanking all her supporters.

Well guys, almost home. Only a little bit left, only several hours. Thank you for your support. I’m waiting for the plane to land. I’ll be in my homeland.

Exhausted, Butina still managed a smile, saying that it’s been a “very painful and lengthy experience” for her. 

Released less than a day ago from a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, the gun rights activist is heading home after spending more than a year behind bars. Arrested in July 2018 and charged with failing to properly register as a foreign agent in the US, she spent eight months in custody, most of it in solitary confinement, before eventually pleading guilty in December. She was sentenced to 18 months in April, a decision which Russian President Vladimir Putin called a “travesty of justice.”

You can watch the full interview Butina gave to RT and Sputnik later on Saturday.