‘Russians don’t surrender’: Butina asks for help to fight injustice in video address from US prison

Russian gun activist, Maria Butina, who was imprisoned in the US on accusations of acting as a foreign agent, has recorded a video address, asking for donations to assist with her appeal.

“It feels that I’m again back to [the] modern age. We have internet here,” Butina said in the footage she recorded at the federal transfer center in Oklahoma and uploaded to Russian VK social network.

She thanked everybody, who supported her throughout her ordeal, and asked for “financial support.”

As you know, my attorneys have filed an appeal and we intend to fight against injustice that’s happening with me right now and with all the Russian citizens [in the US]. I am just a manifestation of the current reality.

“Any sum plays a major role,” the 30-year-old said, concluding her address by citing the famous military moto: “Russians don’t surrender!”

Butina, who arrived in the US on a student visa in 2016 before becoming active in pro-gun circles, was sentenced in April on accusations of acting as a foreign agent for the Russian government without proper registration. Moscow repeatedly denied any links to the activist, saying that a case against her was politically motivated.

After being held in solitary confinement for months, Butina pleaded guilty to being a de facto lobbyist, saying that she was unaware that registration was needed.

With credit for pretrial custody, she is likely to remain in a US prison for less than nine months. Butina’s legal team initially said that they were not going to appeal the ruling, but they changed their minds last week.

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