Russia has sentenced a dual Russian-American citizen, Ksenia Karelina, to 12 years in prison.
Guilty Of Treason
A Russian court found Ksenia Karelina guilty of treason for donating money to a charity supporting Ukraine.
The Los Angeles resident, a spa worker, pleaded guilty at her closed trial in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.
Notably, the same court that had convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage in July.
Transfer Of Funds
The court said investigators found that on February 24, 2022 – the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – Karelina had “transferred funds in the interests of a Ukrainian organization.
Her supporters say she had donated $51.80 to Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based charity that provides humanitarian aid to children and elderly people in Ukraine.
The charity has denied it provides any military support to Kyiv.
Court Appearance
Karelina, 33, appeared in court on Thursday in a white sweatshirt and blue jeans, sitting calmly in a glass courtroom cage.
She was not included in a major prisoner swap between Russia and the West two weeks ago that freed Gershkovich.
In addition, her lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, has said she hoped to be included in a future exchange.
How She Got American Citizenship?
Karelina was born in Russia and emigrated to the United States in 2012 via a work-study programme.
She got American citizenship in 2021.
Arrest
The FSB security service arrested her after she flew to Russia to visit her family in Yekaterinburg at the start of the year.
Karelina began facing problems soon after she arrived in Russia using her U.S. passport.
Interrogation
After interrogation, authorities took her cellphone and found the 2022 donation to Razom for Ukraine, on her Venmo account.
The FSB interrogated her for up to two hours during mandatory weekly check-ins and banned her from leaving the city, the website says.
Charges Of Hooliganism And Treason
Karelina was arrested on hooliganism charges and jailed for 15 days a couple of days before her scheduled return to Los Angeles.
In addition, a treason charge was slapped just before her release.
Acquittals for serious crimes are nearly unheard of in Russia.
Reaction Of Family And Friends
Her family and friends in the U.S. have described her as someone who didn’t much care for politics.
Furthermore, her boyfriend is making efforts to secure her release.
He is in contact with both the State Department and the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
Significantly, Washington did not designate Karelina as ” wrongfully detained” in contrast to the cases of Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan,
(With Inputs From Reuters)
