US-Russian Ballerina Jailed for 12 Years in Russia—Over a $51 Donation to Ukraine

US-Russian Ballerina Jailed for 12 Years in Russia Over a $51 Donation to Ukraine
US-Russian Ballerina Jailed for 12 Years in Russia—All Over a $51 Donation to Ukraine
US-Russian Ballerina Sentenced to 12 Years in Russia for Treason Over Donation to Ukraine

A Russian court has sentenced Ksenia Karelina, a 33-year-old amateur ballerina with dual US-Russian citizenship, to 12 years in prison for high treason. Karelina, who had been living in Los Angeles since becoming a US citizen in 2021, was convicted for donating $51 (£39) to a charity supporting Ukraine.

Karelina was arrested in January during a family visit to Yekaterinburg, located 1,600 km east of Moscow. Prosecutors, who initially sought a 15-year sentence, claimed she had raised funds for a Ukrainian organization accused of supplying arms to the Ukrainian military.

US-Russian Ballerina Jailed for 12 Years in Russia—Over a $51 Donation to Ukraine US

The trial, held behind closed doors, concluded last week with Karelina pleading guilty. She will serve her sentence in a general regime penal colony.

The Ukrainian charity, Razom, expressed shock at her arrest, while her boyfriend, boxer Chris van Heerden, described the trial as “upsetting and nerve-wracking.”

This case has drawn parallels to the trial of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was held on espionage charges in the same court before being released in a prisoner swap.


Copyright 2024 REPORT AFRIQUE (RA). Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.reportafrique.com and other relevant sources.This Article is Fact-Checked. See Policy.
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