A Ph.D. candidate at the University of Missouri at St. Louis has been detained in Russia for more than two months on accusations of trying to leave the country with contraband items, the Associated Press reported. Supporters of the woman, Roxana Contreras, say the charges stem from a misunderstanding.

Ms. Contreras had purchased the items — six medals and several pieces of old currency — from a street vendor for about $66 and “had no idea they were not supposed to be taken out of the country,” according to her thesis adviser, Sonya Bahar. Ms. Bahar, who is director of the university’s Center for Neurodynamics, told the news agency that Ms. Contreras had been visiting friends in Russia in June, after attending a conference in Germany.

Ms. Contreras, who is a citizen of Chile, is not in custody but is not being allowed to leave while awaiting a court date. If convicted, she could face up to seven years in prison. —Charles Huckabee