Svitlana Timofeeva, who poses as a Russian blogger and was arrested last August in Albania on espionage charges, has sought asylum in an attempt to avoid extradition, citing fears of persecution in Moscow, her lawyer said on Monday, Reuters reported.

Svetlana Timofeeva, 34, was arrested along with another Russian and a Ukrainian on charges of breaking into the former communist military factory Gramsh, about 80 km from the Albanian capital Tirana.

Timofeeva said that the factory was abandoned, there was no sign on it that would indicate the presence of a military object, and people and animals entered and left it without hindrance. She said the only reason she visited the area was her desire to photograph abandoned Cold War buildings.

“She is seeking asylum because if she is extradited she will be persecuted by the Russian authorities,” said her lawyer Isuf Shehu.

The asylum application states that Timofeeva openly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine.

It is expected that on Friday the court will decide whether or not to extradite Timofeeva.

In February, Albania’s Justice Ministry approved Moscow’s request for her extradition, where she faces similar charges.

Albania, like most European countries, has joined the European Union in its bid to impose sanctions against Russia for the invasion.

“The Albanian prosecutor’s office does not have the facts to incriminate her and punish her for espionage … she only took pictures of old and destroyed buildings,” Shehu said.

When Albania was under communist rule, the Gramsh factory produced Russian AK 47 rifles.

The ministry’s website states that the plant currently provides production services for the defense industry. Previously, it was also used to disassemble small arms and ammunition.

Timofeeva, known as Lana Sator, has more than 250,000 followers on her Instagram page, where she has been posting photos of abandoned buildings for years, including forgotten, old and dilapidated military trenches.

“Two countries, Albania and Russia, accuse Lana of espionage for taking artistic photos of abandoned places. As funny as it sounds, this is a Kafkaesque reality for Lana,” she writes on her Instagram account. The account was now administered by Timofeeva’s friends.

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