A courtroom in Russia sentenced a twin citizen of Russia and america on Thursday to 12 years in jail on accusations that she dedicated treason by donating cash — about $50 — for Ukraine’s armed forces.
The courtroom, within the metropolis of Yekaterinburg, claimed to have discovered that the funds donated by the lady, Ksenia Karelina, 32, “had been subsequently used to buy tactical drugs, tools, weapons and ammunition” for Ukraine.
The prosecution practically at all times will get its manner in treason circumstances in Russia’s stage-managed judicial system, however her lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, mentioned he would nonetheless attraction to attempt to get her sentence decreased.
“I used to be not stunned by the jail sentence or the way in which the trial was performed,” Mr. Mushailov mentioned by phone telephone from Yekaterinburg.
The conviction of Ms. Karelina, often known as Ksenia Khavana, was the most recent in a collection of treason and different circumstances by Russia in opposition to residents of Western nations. The surge in such circumstances in recent times has raised considerations that the Kremlin views the accused as worthwhile belongings to be traded for high-profile Russians held by america and different nations within the West.
Mr. Mushailov mentioned that along with interesting Ms. Karelina’s sentence, he could be “taking all of the legally required actions” to make her a part of any future prisoner change between Russia and the West.
Russian investigators accused Ms. Karelina of donating $52 to a New York-based nonprofit that purchased weapons and different tools, together with medical support, for Ukraine’s navy, according to Perviy Otdel, a gaggle of Russian legal professionals who concentrate on circumstances involving accusations of treason and different politically charged points.
Ms. Karelina, who’s from Yekaterinburg and lives in Los Angeles, pleaded responsible, in response to Mr. Mushailov and the courtroom.
He has not disclosed additional particulars in regards to the case, as a result of it’s categorised.
Ms. Karelina, whose trial started on June 20, was arrested in February whereas visiting Yekaterinburg, an industrial metropolis about 850 miles east of Moscow. Her case was heard by the identical decide who presided over the trial of the Wall Road Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was freed this month in a prisoner swap after receiving a 16-year sentence in July.
That prisoner swap was the most important between Russia and Western nations for the reason that Chilly Battle. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus, his ally, launched 16 prisoners, including Mr. Gershkovich, the Russian American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine. They had been exchanged for a convicted murderer and 7 different Russians, together with hackers and spies.
However Russia nonetheless has several Americans in its prisons. One is Marc Fogel, a historical past trainer who labored for nearly a decade on the Anglo-American College of Moscow. In 2021, when attempting to enter Russia, Mr. Fogel was arrested and accused of smuggling drugs after customs officers discovered a small quantity of medical marijuana in his baggage. His family members have mentioned it was to deal with extreme ache.
In June 2022, Mr. Fogel, a local of western Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 14 years in jail for drug smuggling. In Russia, individuals convicted of homicide have usually obtained shorter sentences.
One other American in Russian custody is Michael Travis Leake, a rock musician who was sentenced last month to 13 years after prosecutors accused him of organizing a drug-trafficking ring.
Perviy Otdel, the authorized group, mentioned that Ms. Karelina’s case revolved round $52 donated to Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based nonprofit group that sends assistance to the country.
In accordance with Ms. Karelina’s profile on VK, a Russian social community, she turned a United States citizen in 2021. Her profile, which recognized her as a pupil on the College of Maryland in Baltimore, mentioned that she had graduated from Ural Federal College in Yekaterinburg in 2014.
The variety of state treason circumstances in Russia has been rising steadily since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Final 12 months, about 50 individuals had been accused of the offense, according to Perviy Otdel, together with high-profile critics of the Kremlin and a pupil accused of photographing Russian Military formations in his city.
Oleg Matsnev contributed reporting.
