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.

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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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