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Treason Case Dropped Against Russian Mother of Seven Davydova

Svetlana Davydova

The high-profile case against a Russian woman accused of treason has been dropped, her lawyer said Friday.

"The case against Svetlana Davydova has been closed due to the lack of a crime. The accusations of state treason have been fully withdrawn," Ivan Pavlov wrote on his Facebook page.

Davydova was arrested in January on suspicion of treason for calling the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow last April to inform them that Russian troops stationed near her home in the Smolensk region town of Vyazma were leaving their barracks and could be on their way to fight in Ukraine.

The mother of seven spent 10 days in detention before being let out on conditional release amid a public outcry.

An expert analysis conducted as part of the investigation found that the information divulged to the Ukrainian embassy by Davydova did not qualify as a state secret and its disclosure did not threaten Russian national security, Kommersant newspaper reported.

Russia denies reports that any of its servicemen have been sent to fight in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.


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