Russia’s Foreign Ministry has begun a social media campaign calling for the release of Maria Butina, whom American prosecutors accused this week of acting as a covert Russian agent.
Federal prosecutors say that Ms. Butina, 29, attempted to infiltrate political organizations and influence politicians while living in Washington on a student visa. Russia has denied the allegations.
Now, Moscow is using its formidable social media apparatus to press for her release. The Foreign Ministry posted a call to action on its Twitter account on Thursday, declaring that it was mobilizing a digital “flash mob” in support of Ms. Butina and urged supporters to change their profile pictures to that of Ms. Butina.
A similar message was posted to the ministry’s Facebook page, and both accounts switched over to an image of Ms. Butina, her red hair blowing in the breeze. The accounts also urged Russians to share messages under the hashtag #FreeMariaButina to voice their support.
Ms. Butina was indicted on Tuesday on charges that she acted illegally as an agent of the Russian government, attempting to infiltrate Republican circles. She “should be considered on a par with other covert Russian agents,” prosecutors said. She has been jailed while awaiting trial.
Russia has maintained its position that the charges against Ms. Butina are unsubstantiated. Maria Zakharova, the Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, said at a news conference on Wednesday that the claims against Ms. Butina seemed “odd.”
“As we know, Maria Butina has been in the United States for a long time as a student at a university in Washington and she has not been hiding from anybody,” Ms. Zakharova said. “As we understand it, the order came from those who continue to stir up Russophobic hysteria, for which purpose they regularly plant more fictional sensations about Russia’s alleged interference in the internal affairs of the United States.”
The calls on social media echoed the government’s official stance. The Foreign Ministry’s English-language account also posted a photo of Ms. Butina on its Twitter account.
Soon, Russian diplomats were joining the call to action.
“One more Russian was arrested in the US without any plausible reason,” Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s first deputy permanent representative at the United Nations, wrote on Twitter. “We demand her immediate release.”
The Russian Mission to the United Nations also changed its profile photo.
Some other Russians shared messages of support on the hashtag. But many Twitter users poked fun at attempts by the Russian Foreign Ministry to influence the conversation, hijacking the hashtag with snark.
Ms. Zakharova, the spokeswoman, criticized the United States for the timing of Ms. Butina’s arrest and for the indictment of 12 Russians last week ahead of the summit meeting between President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
She reaffirmed that Russia was taking steps to ensure that Ms. Butina was receiving support.
“For our part, we are taking all possible measures to protect the rights and legal interests of the Russian national,” Ms. Zakharova said.
The Russian Embassy in Washington said that diplomats visited Ms. Butina on Thursday. In a Facebook post, the embassy reported that Ms. Butina was in good spirits.
“We told Maria that her case caused a public outcry in Russia and people send her words of solidarity,” the post read. “She asked to tell her parents not to worry.”
Ivan Nechepurenko contributed reporting.
Source : Nytimes
