The Russian Foreign Ministry called the sentence Butina "shameful spot" on the US judicial system

"This verdict is a shameful stain on the American judicial system, which unquestioningly fulfilled a frank political order," the statement said on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

As noted by the Foreign Ministry, Butina "was convicted only for being a citizen of Russia."

It became known earlier that a court in the United States sentenced Butin to 18 months in prison for "conspiring to work illegally for the Russian government."