US woman detained and fined in Russia after walking a calf on Moscow’s Red Square

A Russian court has detained and fined a US woman after she walked a calf on Moscow’s Red Square. She alleged that she bought the calf to save it from a slaughterhouse. Alicia Day was charged with obstructing pedestrians in an unauthorised protest and was fined 20,000 rubles (US$285). The 34 year old was also sentenced to 13 days of “administrative arrest” on a separate charge of disobeying police orders.

“I bought the calf so that it wouldn’t be eaten.”

According to Reuters, a video shared by Russian state media showed Day explaining that she had a driver bring the calf to Red Square.

“I wanted to show it a beautiful place in our beautiful country.”

Day was living in a suburb of Moscow and was on a tourist visa. According to the RIA news agency, she had previously carried out similar protests in other countries.

The Daily Mail reported in 2019 that the same woman had rescued a pig that she named Jixy Pixy from slaughter in England, and had brought it to London by taxi. She then took it for walks and fed it food from restaurants.

However, her landlord discovered that she was keeping the pig in her apartment and contacted an animal welfare charity that confiscated the animal.

Meanwhile, at the end of last year, the “Merchant of Death,” or Viktor Bout, was swapped with prisoner Brittney Griner from the US. The notorious arms dealer was exchanged in Abu Dhabi with American basketball star Brittney Griner. Despite his reputation, Bout received a hero’s welcome upon arriving in Moscow. He spoke to his family when his plane made a refuelling stop in Russia, allaying his mother’s fears.

According to The Straits Times, state television broadcasted footage of the prisoner boarding a plane with a smile on his thin face. A nurse was shown taking his temperature and blood pressure. Bout was accused of arming rebels in some of the world’s most violent conflicts. He was then arrested in a US sting operation in Thailand back in 2008. The now 55-year-old was extradited to the US and sentenced back in 2012 to 25 years in prison.

Bout’s mother, Raisa, has thanked President Vladimir Putin for her son’s release.