The year before, the FBI announced Mary Butina agent of the Kremlin, the Russian woman graduated from American University in Washington, where he worked on a complex project in cyber security.
As a student, Butina collected data on the cyber security non-profit organizations advocating for media freedom and human rights. As the Associated Press (AP), this information was meant to help human rights defenders to identify critical risk factors, but could also be interesting for Russia.
As found out the AP, the project was developed for the nonprofit organization Internews, which cooperates with the U.S. government and provides advice on cyber security. On the project Maria Butina worked under the guidance of the distinguished Professor, who advised the U.S. state Department.
As reported in the Internews, a small group of students headed by Butynol was provided — for research purposes — a list of partner organizations involved in human rights issues and press freedom. One of the conditions for the provision of information was the obligation of students not to contact those organizations without prior permission from Internews. However, according to participants of the project, with some partners Internews students contacted.
As reported by AP source who worked on the programs Internews in Ukraine, after the arrest of Maria Butunoi U.S. officials expressed concern about the fact that 2 state Department-funded programs at Internews Ukraine on freedom of the media and cyber-security could be modified with Russian intelligence.
While Internews stressed that access to the work of the organization among the students has never been.
«The choice of students and their role and activities in the study is entirely determined by AU faculty», — said the press-Secretary of the Internews Laura Stein Lindamood.
The approval of the Federal prosecutors, the University served as Botinol «cover» while she was looking for the necessary contacts among the politicians and the National rifle Association of the United States.
