- What did you feel when you learned that Mary went to a deal with the investigation?

- Yes, there were no special feelings - just waiting for the earliest possible resolution of this case in the way that both the daughter and our entire family would have arranged.

- Why did she agree to the deal? This harsh conditions in the United States influenced her decision?

- I think that it is for this reason that I agreed - because of the conditions of detention. If she were free, she would prove her innocence, seeking complete justification.

- Did Maria talk about the terms of the deal?

- No, we did not have the opportunity to discuss the details of the case and the deal. The court imposed a ban on information related to the case, and it adheres to all restrictions. Otherwise, I get information from the media.

- What did she tell you about the conditions of detention?

- So far, nothing has changed. Since November 20, she is in the regime of administrative segregation - she is in a cell for 22 hours a day.

  • “Most of all she needs support from us”: father Maria Butina - in an exclusive interview with RT

- Earlier, you noted that you can hardly find funds to pay for lawyers. Did you solve the problem?

- While in the process. We are trying to find organizations that would make donations to finance lawyers who, it is worth noting, are very competent and confident in doing business.

Up to five years in prison

Earlier it became known that Maria Butina made a deal with the American justice and pleaded guilty to one of the points of the prosecution, which concerns collusion with a view to violating the laws on foreign agents in the US She faces up to five years in prison or a $ 250 thousand fine.

In the Kremlin, all the accusations against the Russian woman are considered unfounded.

“We consider all accusations against her to be absolutely unfounded, untenable. Everything else is a matter of court proceedings in the United States and a question of defending Butina, which we don’t want to comment on at this stage, ”press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said to journalists.

At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow will continue to support Butina.

“I have reason to believe that the purpose of these conditions, which were created for her, was to break her will and force her, in fact, to confess to what she most likely did not commit. But this is her decision. We will do everything to ensure that the rights of our citizen are ensured that she return home as soon as possible, ”he noted.