MOSCOW, Russia
A Russian court on Thursday sentenced US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina to 12 years in prison on charges of "treason." Karelina allegedly donated around $50 (€45) to a pro-Ukraine charity.
"The court found Ksenia
Karelina guilty of high treason and sentenced her to 12 years' imprisonment in
a general regime colony," the court in the city of Yekaterinburg said.
The 32-year-old ballerina had
been living in Los Angeles in the US, but was arrested in January while she was
visiting family in Yekaterinburg.
Russia's FSB security service
said Karelina had collected money that had been "used to purchase
tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian
armed forces."
Russian state media reported
that she pleaded guilty to the charges last week.
The sentencing of the
US-Russian citizen comes just two weeks after Russia released
16 prisoners with US and other Western citizenships, including US reporter
Evan Gershkovich and former US marine Paul Whelan.
It was the biggest prisoner
swap between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
Russia has been accused of
repeatedly imprisoning citizens of Western states on trumped up charges in
order to use them as bargaining chips. Several other foreigners remain stuck in
Russian prisoners, along with Russian opposition figures.
The Russian
full-scale invasion of Ukraine has also brought tensions between
Moscow and Washington to their highest point since the fall of the Soviet
Union.
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