Ksenia Karelina
Ksenia Karelina | |
|---|---|
Ксения Карелина | |
.jpg) Karelina in 2025 | |
| Born | December 13, 1991 |
| Citizenship | Russia United States |
| Alma mater | Ural Federal University |
| Occupation | Ballet dancer |
Criminal charges | Treason |
Criminal penalty | 12 years imprisonment |
Criminal status | Released 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]
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 2 "U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina pleads guilty to treason, state media says". Reuters. Yekaterinburg. August 7, 2024.
- ↑ "A Los Angeles woman was arrested in Russia on charges of treason. Here's what we know". AP News. February 22, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
- ↑ Nechepurenko, Ivan (February 20, 2024). "Russia Arrests U.S. Citizen, Accusing Her of Treason by Aiding Ukraine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- ↑ "Russia Arrests Dual U.S. Citizen on Accusations of Treason". TIME. February 20, 2024.
- ↑ Edwards, Christian (June 20, 2024). "Russian court begins hearing treason case against US-Russian citizen". CNN. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ↑ Troianovski, Anton; Nechepurenko, Ivan (August 15, 2024). "Russia Sentences U.S. Citizen to 12 Years in Prison on Treason Charges". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
- ↑ Clayton, Victoria (March 9, 2024). "Treason charges after $50 for Ukraine: desperate battle to free LA ballerina held in Russia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russia dual national, freed in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington". AP News. April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
- ↑ Miller, Daniel (May 5, 2025). "Trump meets with ballerina Ksenia Karelina, weeks after her release from Russia". FOX 13 Seattle.
- ↑ "Treason trial of Russian American woman opens as tensions rise between Washington and Moscow". Associated Press. Moscow. June 20, 2024.
- 1 2 "Russian court gives 12-year treason sentence to Russian-American over $50 charity donation". CNN. August 15, 2024.
- 1 2 "Ksenia Karelina: US-Russian woman jailed in Russia for 12 years for treason". www.bbc.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ↑ "Boyfriend of L.A. ballerina Ksenia Karelina, sentenced to prison in Russia, "begging American people to help"". CBS News. August 15, 2024.
- ↑ AnneClaire Stapleton; Ivana Kottasová (August 7, 2024). "Russian-American woman admits guilt in treason case, Russian state media reports". CNN. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ↑ "Russia Frees U.S.-Russian Dual National Ksenia Karelina in Prisoner Swap With United States – WSJ". The Moscow Times. April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
- ↑ Vasilyeva, Nataliya (April 10, 2025). "Russia Freed Ksenia Karelina, a Detained American, Rubio Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 10, 2025.