Biography
Maria Butina — activist/agent with roots in the Russian Empire
Maria Butina is a Russian political activist and former intelligence operative born in Barnaul who was convicted in 2018 of acting as an unregistered foreign agent in the United States. She had infiltrated the National Rifle Association and Republican Party circles. After serving 18 months, she was deported to Russia where she became a member of the State Duma.
Russian Connection
Tracing the roots — Russia
Born in Barnaul, Siberia in 1988, Butina came to the United States as a graduate student while conducting political influence operations. Her case became one of the most high-profile examples of Russian soft-power infiltration of American political organisations in the post-Cold War era.
Family Tree
Subject
Maria Butina🇷🇺 Russia
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Self (US prisoner)
Barnaul
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Origin
Russia🇷🇺
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
Infiltrated the National Rifle Association and Republican Party networks (2015-2018)
02
Convicted of acting as unregistered foreign agent (2018) — 18 months imprisonment
03
Deported to Russia (2019) — welcomed as a hero
04
Elected to the Russian State Duma (2021) — representing United Russia
05
Her case became a defining episode in the investigation of Russian election interference
Sources