Ksenia Karelina

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Ksenia Karelina
Ксения Карелина
Ksenia Karelina in 2025 (cropped).jpg
Karelina in 2025
Born (1991-12-13) December 13, 1991 (age 33)
Yekaterinburg, Russian SFSR
Citizenship Russia
United States
Alma mater Ural Federal University
Occupation Ballet dancer
Criminal chargesTreason
Criminal penalty12 years imprisonment
Criminal statusReleased in an exchange deal

Ksenia Karelina (also Ksenia Khavana; born December 13, 1991) is a Russian-American ballet dancer and spa employee who was imprisoned for treason by the Russian government. [1] [2] [3] [4] The FSB accused Karelina of taking part in "public actions to support the Kyiv regime" [5] for donating $51.80 to a charity supporting Ukraine. She was originally facing life in prison as a result, but was instead sentenced to 12 years. [6] [7] She was released on April 10, 2025, as part of a prisoner exchange, [8] and made an appearance with President Donald Trump at the White House on May 5, 2025. [9]

Contents

Early life

Karelina was born in Yekaterinburg, Russia. [10] Karelina emigrated to the United States in 2012 and became a citizen in 2021. [1] She resided in Los Angeles. [11]

Arrest and conviction

Karelina was arrested in early 2024 while visiting her family in Yekaterinburg and charged with treason by the Russian government for sending $51.80 to Razom, a New York City-based nonprofit organization that sends humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. She made a single transfer on the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Razom denied claims by Russia's FSB that it collects money for weapons and ammunition. [12] Her boyfriend Chris Van Heerden said he does not understand how Russian authorities knew about her donation, adding that Karelina believed she was in no danger before traveling to Russia. [13]

Her trial began on June 20, 2024 and she admitted guilt on August 7. [14] On August 15, 2024, she was sentenced by the regional courts of Sverdlovsk and Yekaterinburg to 12 years in prison. [12] Karelina was sentenced by Judge Andrei Mineev, the same judge who previously sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. [11] On April 10, 2025, she was released in a prisoner swap in Abu Dhabi between Russia and the United States with mediation from the United Arab Emirates in exchange for a German-Russian prisoner named Arthur Petrov. [15] [16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina pleads guilty to treason, state media says". Reuters . Yekaterinburg. August 7, 2024.
  2. ↑ "A Los Angeles woman was arrested in Russia on charges of treason. Here's what we know". AP News. 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  3. ↑ Nechepurenko, Ivan (20 February 2024). "Russia Arrests U.S. Citizen, Accusing Her of Treason by Aiding Ukraine". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331.
  4. ↑ "Russia Arrests Dual U.S. Citizen on Accusations of Treason". TIME. February 20, 2024.
  5. ↑ Edwards, Christian (2024-06-20). "Russian court begins hearing treason case against US-Russian citizen". CNN. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  6. ↑ Troianovski, Anton; Nechepurenko, Ivan (2024-08-15). "Russia Sentences U.S. Citizen to 12 Years in Prison on Treason Charges". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  7. ↑ Clayton, Victoria (9 March 2024). "Treason charges after $50 for Ukraine: desperate battle to free LA ballerina held in Russia". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russia dual national, freed in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington". AP News. 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  9. ↑ Miller, Daniel (5 May 2025). "Trump meets with ballerina Ksenia Karelina, weeks after her release from Russia". FOX 13 Seattle.
  10. ↑ "Treason trial of Russian American woman opens as tensions rise between Washington and Moscow". Associated Press . Moscow. June 20, 2024.
  11. 1 2 "Russian court gives 12-year treason sentence to Russian-American over $50 charity donation". CNN. August 15, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "Ksenia Karelina: US-Russian woman jailed in Russia for 12 years for treason". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  13. ↑ "Boyfriend of L.A. ballerina Ksenia Karelina, sentenced to prison in Russia, "begging American people to help"". CBS News. August 15, 2024.
  14. ↑ AnneClaire Stapleton; Ivana Kottasová (2024-08-07). "Russian-American woman admits guilt in treason case, Russian state media reports". CNN. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  15. ↑ "Russia Frees U.S.-Russian Dual National Ksenia Karelina in Prisoner Swap With United States – WSJ". The Moscow Times. 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  16. ↑ Vasilyeva, Nataliya (2025-04-10). "Russia Freed Ksenia Karelina, a Detained American, Rubio Says". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-04-10.
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