A Russian court has sentenced a U.S.-Russian ballerina to 12 years in prison for treason after finding she sent $51 to a charity supporting Ukraine in 2022.
Ksenia Karelina had pleaded guilty in a court hearing in Yekaterinburg on August 8, in the same court that convicted the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage in July, according to Reuters.
Karelina’s lawyer Mikhail Mushailov said after the August 8 hearing that the Russian prosecutors’ request for a 15-year sentence in a penal colony was too severe as she had cooperated with the investigation by handing over her phone for inspection.
What Happened To Ksenia Karelina?
Karelina was traveling to meet her 90-year-old grandmother in Yekaterinburg, in the southwest of Russia, in February when she was arrested, according to a website set up to free Karelina.
Upon her arrival, she was reportedly confronted by officers on a charge related to “swearing in a public place.” She reportedly rejected the accusation in court.
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Authorities then charged her with treason while she was in custody, and she was never released.
It was after searching her phone that the case investigators discovered a $51.80 donation transfer to Razom, a charity that provides aid to Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, through the Venmo app, according to her boyfriend Chris van Heerden.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed the donation was “used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces,” according to Sky News.
The charity has denied offering any military support to Kyiv, Reuters reported, and Razom said it was “appalled” by her arrest at the time.
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Who Is Ksenia Karelina?
The dual-citizen ballet dancer was born in Russia and emigrated to the U.S. in 2012, obtaining citizenship in 2021 after marrying American Evgeny Khavana, who she has since separated from, the New York Post reported.
She had reportedly been working in Los Angeles at the Ciel Spa at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills prior to her arrest.
Van Heerden, her current boyfriend, set up the #freeKsenia site to try to advocate for her release, and in an op-ed attached to the page, he wrote, “I am appealing to the Russian government to be the responsible actor here. It was a mistake to arrest her. Please let her go. Show the world you are better than being afraid of my ballerina. The Ksenia I know is not a threat to the Russian Federation.”
He shared that she enjoys yoga and going for hikes, occasionally goes roller skating and dances, and likes ice cream.
He added, “She is not an activist. Ksenia loves her Russian heritage and is proud of her family and her countrymen… The only time I can really remember her expressing a political opinion was when she held a ‘We want peace’ sign, but never anything, good or bad, about Russia. Who can argue with a yogini wanting peace?”
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Why Wasn’t She Freed During The Prisoner Exchange?
On August 1, 24 prisoners held in seven countries were returned to home. This involved the Russian leader Vladimir Putin releasing 16 prisoners, among which were the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia in March 2023, and the former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been in jail in Russia since 2018.
Karelina’s lawyer told reporters at her August 8 hearing that it was “impossible” for her to be included in the swap, as an exchange can only be granted once the Russian court verdict comes into force, the BBC reported at the time.
In return for the release of the prisoners from Russian jails, Putin was handed eight spies and agents, including political assassin Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted in Germany over a 2019 killing in Berlin.
There are a number of other U.S. prisoners still left in Russia’s prisons. This includes Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvanian history teacher in his 60s, Gordon Black, an active-duty U.S. soldier, Robert Gilman, a former marine, Robert Romanov Woodland, Eugene Spector, Michael Travis Leake, and David Barnes.
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