Russian woman Maria Butina charged with infiltrating US political groups under Kremlin direction

A Russian woman has been charged with infiltrating US political organisations under the direction of a senior Kremlin official.

Maria Butina, 29, was arrested on Sunday on a charge of conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of the Russian government.

Court papers say Ms Butina worked on behalf of an unnamed Russian official to influence senior US politicians and develop relationships with other political organisations between 2015 and 2017.

Prosecutors say the Russian official has since been sanctioned by the US.

Ms Butina, a student at American University, is a founder of the pro-gun rights Russian advocacy organisation Right to Bear Arms.

It comes just hours after Donald Trump stood side by side with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin and suggested he believed the Kremlin did not meddle in the 2016 presidential election.

He said he had “great confidence” in the US security services but that Mr Putin’s denial was “strong and powerful”.