US-Russian Citizen Ksenia Karelina Pleads Guilty to Treason in Russia Over Donation to Ukraine

US-Russian dual citizen Ksenia Karelina has pleaded guilty to a charge of treason in Russian court, according to a statement from her lawyer reported by the state news agency RIA on Wednesday, August 7.

Ksenia Karelina, a 33-year-old resident of Los Angeles, was arrested by the FSB earlier this year during a visit to her grandparents in Yekaterinburg. She was charged with treason for donating $51.80 to the nonprofit organization “Razom for Ukraine”.

Karelina was born in Russia and emigrated to the US in 2012, becoming a US citizen in 2021. She faces a potential sentence of 12 years to life in prison if convicted.

The Sverdlovsk Regional Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict at the next hearing on August 8.

Karelina was not included in the recent major prisoner exchange that took place on August 1, which involved 10 prisoners being transferred to Russia, 13 to Germany, and three to the United States. Among the exchanged was the Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich.