Russia's Butina Wins Ruling Party's Primaries In Kirov Region

NIZHNY NOVGOROD (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2021) Russian Civic Chamber member Maria Butina, who was convicted in the US in 2018 for espionage and deported to Russia a year later, has won the primaries of the ruling United Russia political party for the Kirov Region, according to the preliminary electronic voting results.

Per the results, made available on the party website, Butina won with 27,518 votes cast for her. Butina went on to thank the region's residents for their trust and support.

"I can only promise what I can do, without any fairytale castles, but I can definitely promise to dedicate my efforts to the service of my country and your wonderful region, which echoed in my heart once," Butina wrote on Telegram

Butina was arrested in the US in July 2018 and sentenced to 18 months in prison for "conspiring to work for a foreign government.

" To reduce a much longer prison time, she had to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. The Russian national was deported home in October 2019 after her sentence was slightly reduced for good behavior. In 2020, Butina was elected to the Russian Civic Chamber, promising to support Russian citizens who face trouble abroad.

The United Russia primaries took place from May 24 to 30.