US charges against Russian Butina 'unfounded': Kremlin

The Kremlin yesterday rejected as unfounded the US case against Russian national Maria Butina, who has pleaded guilty to acting as an illegal foreign agent in the United States.

"We consider the accusations against her as absolutely unfounded," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had "reasons to believe" the Russian had been kept in conditions designed to break her will and lead her to enter a false guilty plea.

"As far as I understand, this plea bargain -- the likes of which are common in the US -- is part of a deal to get free and return home as soon as possible," Lavrov said in comments reported by agencies.

Butina -- the first Russian convicted in the sprawl of cases arising from Moscow's interference in the 2016 presidential election -- faces likely deportation after a potential sentence.

Prosecutors said she launched a plan in 2015 to develop ties with the Republican Party with the aim of influencing US foreign policy.

The plot was allegedly guided and financed in part by Alexander Torshin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin who was deputy governor of the Russian central bank until his retirement on November 30.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week said he had asked Russian security services who Butina was.

"Nobody had heard anything about her. The only thing was that she did some work in the upper house of parliament for a while," Putin said.

Butina was arrested in July this year and became a minor cause celebre in Russia, with the foreign ministry putting her picture at the top of their Twitter account with the hashtag "#FreeMariaButina".