NRA-Linked Russia Central Banker Retires

Alexander Torshin, whose assistant is closing in on a plea deal with U.S. prosecutors after being charged with acting as a Kremlin agent in Washington, is leaving his position as deputy governor of Russia’s central bank.

Torshin retired, the Russian regulator said in a statement Friday. He turned 65 Tuesday. The announcement came after the U.S. government said this week that prosecutors are optimistic about reaching a deal with Maria Butina, a gun-rights activist currently jailed for failing to register as a Russian agent. Russian officials call her a “political prisoner.”