Ksenia Karelina, 33, had been living in Los Angeles but was arrested during a family visit to Russia
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced Ksenia Karelin, a woman with dual US-Russian citizenship, to 12 years in prison on charges of treason. The decision was made after Karelin donated $50 to a charity that supports Ukraine, BBC reports.
Karelina, who is originally from the Ural region of Russia, lived for over ten years in California, where she received US citizenship. She was detained in February during a visit to Russia, when she came to visit her grandparents.
The Sverdlovsk Regional Court, where the case was considered behind closed doors, found Ksenia Karelin guilty of treason. According to Russian media, her donation of $50 was made at the beginning of the invasion and went to the “Together” organization, which provides financial aid to Ukraine. The court stated that these funds were allegedly used to purchase medical equipment, as well as weapons and ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Karelina admitted her guilt during the court session.
The verdict sparked another wave of accusations from the United States, which say Moscow is using the arrests of American citizens as a political tool to exchange prisoners. Such actions by Russia have been condemned by Washington, especially after the recent exchange of prisoners, which took place on August 1. Then several American journalists and activists were released in exchange for arrested Russian spies in the West.
