"70,000 Won Donation to Ukraine, Treason Charge"…US-Russia Dual National Woman Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

Charged with Treason, Found Guilty

Ksenia Karelina at the time of appearing in a Russian court.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

An American woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison after donating about 70,000 won to a Ukrainian charity.

According to AFP, the Sverdlovsk District Court in Yekaterinburg, central Russia, on the 15th (local time) found Ksenia Karelina guilty of treason and handed down the sentence. Karelina is accused of donating $52, approximately 70,000 won, to a Ukrainian support organization.

Karelina holds dual citizenship in the United States and Russia. After graduating from Ural Federal University, she married a U.S. citizen and also holds U.S. citizenship.

Karelina's side denies the treason charges. Her lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, stated, "There was no direct intention to deliver that money to the Ukrainian military."

Since her arrest by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in January, the Russian legal group Perviy Otdel explained, "Karelina was arrested for donating $51.80 (70,499 won) to Razom, a Ukrainian charity, on February 24, 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine."

In response, the U.S. State Department said, "Consular assistance was attempted at the time of the arrest, but Russian authorities did not allow it."

The White House condemned the Russian court's ruling as "malicious cruelty," promising to "work toward Karelina's release."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.