For donating to an organization helping Ukraine, Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American citizen, was sentenced by the Yekaterinburg Regional Court in the Urals to 12 years in prison for treason on Wednesday, August 15.
Mme Karelina is accused of transferring about $51 (€47.85) to the Ukrainian-American non-governmental organization Razom for Ukraine, which provides material assistance to Ukrainians, in the very first days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The court said the funds were “used for the purchase of medical equipment, weapons and ammunition by the Ukrainian Armed Forces”. “During the trial, the accused fully admitted her guilt”the court said.
Ksenia Karelina is originally from Yekaterinburg but lived in California, USA, where she emigrated more than ten years ago and obtained American citizenship. This employee of a beauty salon in Los Angeles, married to an American, was arrested in February 2024 in Russia, where she had gone to visit her grandparents.
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Razom for Ukraine, for its part, denies that it aims to raise funds for the Ukrainian army. The only military aid it has ever provided consists of first aid kits for medics on the front lines.
The conviction comes as the United States accuses Moscow of specifically targeting Americans in Russia to use them as bargaining chips for Russians held in Western countries.
The largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War between Moscow and the West took place on 1er August, allowing the release of American journalists and Russian opponents detained in Russia in exchange for spies imprisoned in the West. Russia still has several foreigners and dual nationals in its prisons, including Frenchman Laurent Vinatier, who works for a Swiss conflict resolution NGO.
Source: Lemonde
