Mother of 7 suspected of treason set free

Investigators have decided to free Svetlana Davydova, the mother of seven accused of treason, a federal agent told her lawyer earlier today. Davydova will be subject to travel restrictions.

According to her husband, Sveltana is still in custody in Moscow. It is unclear if Davydova will be able to return to her home in the Smolensk region, or must remain in Moscow for the duration of the investigation.

• Svetlana Davydova was arrested on January 21 on charges of treason. She stands accused of informing the Ukrainian embassy of secret Russian troop deployments near the Ukrainian border. Davydova says she overheard a soldier discussing this information aboard public transit in April 2014. Russia’s Joint Chiefs say Davydova’s actions “jeopardized the effectiveness of measures to secure the border with Ukraine.” On January 29, a court ruled to keep Davydova in jail, before her case comes to trial.
• Tens of thousands of people have signed an online petition asking President Putin to free Davydova from state custody. In the next few days, the petition’s organizers were expected to deliver the document to officials in the Kremlin.