A dual Russian-American ballerina has been arrested on charges of treason by Vladimir Putin's secret security force, the FSB, Russian officials confirmed on Tuesday. A video posted by a Russian news agency shows Ksenia Karelina, 32, being escorted into a courtroom in handcuffs, with her face blurred. The exact date of the video recording remains unclear.
She was arrested in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in January. The FSB said the unidentified woman is accused of "proactively collecting funds since February 2022 in the interests of a Ukrainian organization, which were subsequently used to purchase tactical medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the Moscow Times reported.
Arrested for Raising Funds for Ukraine
Karelina, a resident of Los Angeles who obtained US citizenship in 2021, is known for sharing photos on her social media pages, portraying a joyful life in the United States. Last summer, she married her American husband, whose identity remains undisclosed.
In January, Karelina was arrested on the same day that Putin gave an interview to Tucker Carlson, which received widespread criticism. The arrest occurred outside a movie theater in Yekaterinburg and initially pertained to charges related to the use of offensive language.
Yekaterinburg, the largest city in the Ural region, is also the location where Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested on spying charges almost a year ago.
However, a subsequent investigation has now landed Karelina in bigger trouble. She is now accused of fundraising for a Ukrainian military cause. The specific allegation involves her transferring $51.80 from an American bank account to the Ukrainian charity Razom.
Treason charges in Russia can result in penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
Since 2023, 63 people have faced treason charges in the country, with 37 being convicted.
On her Facebook page, Karelina says that she is from Yekaterinburg and that she studied ballet at the S. P. Diaghilev school.
Damaging Charges
According to the Moscow Times, Karelina is accused of "proactively collecting funds since February 2022 in the interests of a Ukrainian organization, which were subsequently used to purchase tactical medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the FSB alleges.
"In addition, the citizen in question repeatedly took part in public actions in support of the Kyiv regime while in the United States," the agency added, according to the outlet.
According to the Russian language outlet Mediazona, Karelina graduated from Ural Federal University in 2013, and posts on her Facebook page show her in Baltimore, Maryland, from 2014 onwards.
Mediazona reported that her initial arrest was on charges of 'petty hooliganism' related to swearing, which were later upgraded to 'high treason' while she was in custody. The outlet also notes that Karelina stopped posting on the Russian social media site VK in 2021 after discussing the process of obtaining American citizenship.
Razom, the Ukrainian charity that Karelina is accused of supporting, defines its mission as "contributing to the establishment of a secure, prosperous, and democratic Ukraine."
According to her LinkedIn page, Karelina works as a manager at Ciel Spa Beverly Hills, a position she has held since 2019.
Karelina joins the list of Americans currently held in jail in Russia, including Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and David Barnes, a Texas resident who was recently sentenced to 21 years in prison in Moscow on child abuse charges.
On the day Karelina's arrest was announced, Gershkovich had his pre-trial detention extended in a Moscow court.
