Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-born ballerina with American citizenship, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Russian court for allegedly committing high treason.
She was accused of donating $51.80 to Ukraine’s military.
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service, Ksenia Karelina transferred funds to support a Ukrainian organisation, which allegedly used the money to purchase military equipment and supplies for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
However, Karelina’s supporters claim that she had only donated $51.80 to Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based humanitarian charity that provides aid to vulnerable populations in Ukraine, including children and the elderly.
Razom for Ukraine has denied any involvement in providing military support to Ukraine, emphasising its focus on humanitarian aid.
Karelina, who moved to Los Angeles after marrying an American and obtaining US citizenship, was arrested in February during a visit to her family in Yekaterinburg.
The court found her guilty of high treason on Thursday and sentenced her to 12 years in a general regime colony, according to Mail Online reports.
Upon her arrival at Koltsovo airport in late January, Ksenia Karelina’s cell phone was searched using the keyword ‘Ukraine’, revealing evidence of a bank transfer to a pro-Ukrainian organisation in the United States.
This discovery led to her detention and subsequent treason charges.
According to news reports, Karelina pleaded guilty during her closed trial last week, which resulted in her 12-year prison sentence.
“The court found Ksenia Karelina guilty of high treason and sentenced her to 12 years’ imprisonment in a general regime colony,” the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg said on Thursday.
Karelina, a Russian student, stood accused in a glass defendant’s cage in Moscow, wearing a white top and jeans, as she was sentenced to eight years in prison. The case centered around her donation to a Ukrainian organisation on the first day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ksenia Karelina, a 33-year-old Los Angeles resident and former ballerina, pleaded guilty at her closed trial in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
The same court had previously convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage in July. Karelina was not part of a recent prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, which freed Gershkovich.
However, her lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, expressed hope for her inclusion in a future exchange.
Karelina was initially detained on January 27 while visiting family in Yekaterinburg, nearly a month after arriving in Russia, according to a Russian human rights group.
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