The Russian government has arrested a dual U.S. citizen on treason charges for donating a small amount of money to a Ukrainian charity.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement that it arrested 33-year-old Ksenia Karelina for donating $51.80 to Razom, a New York-based charity that sends assistance to Ukraine.
“Since February 2022, she has been proactively collecting funds in the interests of one of the Ukrainian organizations, which were subsequently used to purchase tactical medicine items, equipment, weapons and ammunition by the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the FSB said.
She was arrested in Yekaterinburg, a city in central Russia, after returning home to visit her family. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison.
Karelina, who lives in Los Angeles, became a U.S. citizen in 2021.
Her mother-in-law and ex-husband are pleading with the Biden administration to help get her freed so she can return to the U.S.
“We are all in shock,” said Eleonora Srebroski, Karelina’s former mother-in-law, told the New York Post. “She is just a wonderful soul. She would never do anything evil to anyone. Knowing Ksenia, she would never do anything criminal. We are so worried because we are reading stories about [Alexei] Navalny’s supporters arrested for mourning him. Her mom and dad had recently divorced and she wanted to see the family.”
The New York Times reported that she was charged with treason on February 7.
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US citizen Ksenia Karelina was arrested in the case of treason in Russia, Mediazona found out. She was first detained in Yekaterinburg at the end of January and then sentenced to 14 days of arrest for “swearing”
Photo: Ksenia Karelina / VK https://t.co/o9ELSl1nwn pic.twitter.com/JWfXG3G0Xy
— Mediazona English (@mediazona_en) February 20, 2024
It was unclear how Russia knew that she allegedly donated money to the charity as it does not make records public in accordance with U.S. privacy laws.
“Razom is appalled by reports that a U.S.-Russian dual national has been arrested by Russian authorities for purportedly making a charitable donation to Razom for Ukraine in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” said Razom CEO Dora Chomiak. “Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly shown that he holds no sovereign border, foreign nationality, or international treaty above his own narrow interest. His regime attacks civil society activists who stand up for freedom and democracy. Razom calls on the U.S. government to continue to do everything in its power to demand that President Putin release all those unjustly detained by Russia and to hold Russia’s political and military leadership accountable for their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”
Karelina worked in Los Angeles as an aesthetician and spa manager at a Beverly Hills hotel.