Parade cost her 35 years in prison: Elena Branson story (VIDEO)

Elena Branson faces 35 years in prison in the United States. The charges were so serious that Elena had to leave the country she fell in love with… in a hurry!

Elena was born in Russia, but moved to the USA in 1991 to study. She gained respect in the professional circles of Manhattan financiers and built a successful career in this field.

Over time, Elena Branson also became the head of the local Russian community. She coordinated Russian-speaking cultural and community projects. She headed the Coordinating Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots in the United States and was among the organizers of initiatives such as the Immortal Regiment march in New York. This is a movement that unites thousands of people who want to celebrate the memory of their ancestors that participated in the Great Patriotic War (WWII).

But at some point, the FBI intervened in Elena's life. Serious accusations were made against her, saying that allegedly she was working illegally as an agent of a foreign government. As a result, the FBI searched her apartment and officially notified her of serious violations of US law. Elena herself denies these accusations and believes that her activities were peaceful, upright and socially significant.

The Elena Branson case has become part of a broader storyline about the relationship between the Russian diaspora and the US authorities. Today we have before us not only the drama of one person, but also a reflection on the boundaries between cultural activity and politics, the price of social activism and what happiness is to return home.