Treason Case Against Russian Woman Dropped

A lawyer for a Russian woman who faced treason charges after reporting possible troop movements to the Ukrainian Embassy says the case against her has been closed.

A lawyer for a Russian woman who faced treason charges after reporting possible troop movements to the Ukrainian Embassy says the case against her has been closed.

Attorney Ivan Pavlov said on Facebook that "the criminal case against Svetlana Davydova has been closed" due to lack of evidence that she committed a crime.

He said that "all treason accusations have been dropped."

Relatives and officials said Davydova telephoned the Ukrainian Embassy in April and told them soldiers based near her home might be being sent to Ukraine, the site of a conflict between government forces and Russian-backed rebels. 

Davydova was detained January 21 at the home she shares in the western city Vyazma with her husband and seven children, including an infant daughter.

After a public outcry, she was freed on February 3 but ordered to remain in Vyazma pending further investigation.

Source: Radio Liberty