Most of the defendants came from outside of the Washington region / REUTERS

Several dozen people arrested in the violent chaos at the U.S. Capitol made their first appearances in court on Thursday, and one of the arrested rioters needed a Russian interpreter.

This was reported by the Hromadske media outlet referring to The Washington Post.

Read alsoSome D.C. protesters fired after being identified

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According to The Washington Post, in D.C. Superior Court, 40 defendants were charged with unlawful entry of public property and were notified that prosecutors are reviewing evidence of an additional charge of curfew violation. Most of the defendants came from outside of the Washington region – including Oregon, Florida, Wyoming, Connecticut and Pennsylvania – though some were from the District, Maryland, and Virginia.

One defendant who needed a Russian interpreter told a judge, "I don't know what unlawful entry you are referring to."

In turn, BuzzFeed contributor Ema O'Connor said that there was an arrested woman who spoke only Russian.

"Someone who only speaks Russian and has a Russian interpreter is currently being arraigned for unlawful entry and curfew violation, same as the other rioters, though she said that she doesn't understand b/c she 'didn't enter anything,'" O'Connor tweeted.

"The woman who needed a Russian translator was Yevgemya Malimon, 54, who was arrested with her daughter Kristina Malimon, 28," she said in a later tweet.

Alexey Kovalyov, an investigative editor for the Meduza Project, in turn, added that the Malimons had arrived in the United States from Moldova.

"Before you succumb to #Russiagate rage, please mind that the Malimons arrived to the US from Moldova, not Russia (which is evident from their social media). So yes, gullible and reckless, but very unlikely a nefarious GRU op," he said on Twitter.

D.C. unrest: Background

  • On Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump supporters breached the Capitol building of the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., where the meeting was held to officially affirm Joe Biden's election win.
  • The meeting was interrupted after a number of protesters broke through cordons and rushed into the building. It was resumed only a few hours later. By the morning of January 7, Congress affirmed Biden's win. Trump assured he was up for an orderly transition of power on January 20.
  • More than 50 people were arrested amid the protests. National Guard troops were sent in to clear the Capitol. In Washington, D.C., a public emergency was prolonged until the day after the inauguration.