A woman Russian-American, Ksenia Karelinafaced trial today in Russia on treason charges over an alleged donation of US$51.80 to a pro-Ukrainian organization. The hearing was held behind closed doors in the city of Yekaterinburg and was postponed until August 7 without disclosed reasons, according to reports Reuters.
Karelina, who emigrated to the United States more than a decade ago and worked as an esthetician at a spa in The Angelswas arrested in January by the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) during a family visit in his hometown. At that time, local authorities accused her of collecting funds for a Ukrainian organization since February 2022, which set up the crime of treason.
In images released by the court, the defendant was seen sitting in a glass cage, dressed in jeans and a green plaid shirt, smiling slightly as reporters took photographs.
According to Forbesher arrest, initially on a charge of “petty vandalism,” quickly escalated to much more serious charges of treason, which could mean a minimum sentence of 12 years or even life in prison if found guilty.
Chris Van HeerdenKarelina’s boyfriend, told NBC that she had traveled to Russia to visit his 90-year-old grandmother, after a brief vacation in Istanbul. Van Heerden, who had bought the tickets from her as a gift due to her nostalgia for her homeland, mentioned that Karelina was convinced that Russia It was safe to visit.
Eleonora SrebroskiKarelina’s ex-mother-in-law, commented to Reuters that the accused had made a small donation to Razoma nonprofit organization based in NY which provides non-military assistance to Ukraine since the invasion of russian forces in 2022. Ciel Spa in Beverly Hills, where Karelina worked, confirmed the amount of the donation.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow are trying to contact Karelinaalthough the State Department spokesperson, Matthew Millerpointed out that Russia It does not recognize U.S. citizenship for dual nationals, so consular access is unlikely to be granted.
The woman’s case is the latest in a series of arrests of US citizens in Russia. Other notable cases include the journalist from The Wall Street JournalEvan Gershkovicharrested in 2022 on espionage charges, and the former US Marine Paul Whelan, arrested in 2018 also on espionage charges. Both cases are considered unjust detentions by the US government.
Brittney Grinerstar of the WNBA, spent ten months in a Russian prison on drug possession charges before being released in a prisoner exchange. More recently, Sgt. Gordon Black He was sentenced to almost four years in prison after being found guilty of robbing and threatening to kill his Russian girlfriend.
Karelina’s life in USA It began in 2012 when she arrived on a work-study schedule, and was briefly married to Eleonora Srebroski’s son. According to her ex-husband, she did not show much interest in politics, a claim supported by her social media profiles, which are filled with personal photographs without political messages.
Karelina She obtained US citizenship in November 2021. In one of her social media photos from that time, she is seen holding a small American flag with the legend “Citizenship.”
