MOSCOW. Aug 9 (Interfax) - Russia demands that the United States stop the prosecution of Russian citizen Maria Butina, whose case has been exploited as a tool in domestic political rivalries, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing in Moscow on Thursday.
"We strongly demand that the criminal prosecution of Maria Butina, who has fallen victim to the domestic political rivalry in the U.S., be immediately stopped, and that she be freed," Zakharova said.