12 hours ago, usviphotography said:

I've never heard of Russia randomly arresting foreign graduate students. So first, it would never happen. If Russia didn't like your "political" activities in the country, the most likely outcome would be they'd revoke your passport and put you on a plane home (very similar to what Thailand would probably do- assuming it was just something silly like what Butina was doing and no agitating against the actual government or monarchy). 

 

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/08/politics/paul-whelan-imprisonment-details/index.html

 

I guess they forgot to put this guy on a plane...

A little more taste of U.S. prison hospitality, and then back to Russia where she belongs... I'm sure Torshin will have a nice job lined up for her trying to exert Russian influence over future U.S. politics from a nice safe home in mother Russia....

 

Quote

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday sentenced Russian agent Maria Butina to 18 months in prison after Butina pleaded guilty in December to conspiring with a Russian official to infiltrate a gun rights group and influence U.S. conservative activists and Republicans.

 

And note the comment from the sentencing federal judge:

 

Quote

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan...also agreed to have Butina deported back to Russia after she completes her sentence. "This was no simple misunderstanding by an overeager foreign student," Chutkan said before imposing the sentence, which was the same amount of prison time prosecutors had recommended.