A Russian court has sentenced Ksenia Karelina, a 33-year-old Russian-American woman, to 12 years in prison for treason after she made a donation of just over $50 to a US-based charity supporting Ukraine. Karelina, who had pleaded guilty, was detained earlier this year in Yekaterinburg while visiting her grandparents.
The verdict was announced on Thursday following a closed trial at Sverdlovsk regional court. Investigators claimed that Karelina’s donation was intended to purchase equipment and ammunition for the Ukrainian military, according to RIA Novosti.
Karelina’s lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, stated that he plans to appeal the decision. He had hoped that Karelina might be included in a future prisoner swap, as the recent exchange of 24 individuals, including former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, had sparked some optimism.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, condemned the sentence as "vindictive cruelty." He described the punishment as "absolutely ludicrous" for what he characterized as a small donation intended to alleviate suffering.
Chris Van Heerden, Karelina’s boyfriend, expressed frustration and sadness over the ruling, highlighting the emotional toll of her sentencing and the absence of her from the recent prisoner swap. He has been actively campaigning for her release and sending her messages of support.
The non-profit organization Razom for Ukraine, which received Karelina’s donation, expressed shock and dismay at her detention.
Karelina's conviction follows a crackdown on dissent in Russia, which intensified after President Vladimir Putin increased the maximum sentence for treason to life imprisonment in April last year. Her trial was held in the same court that recently convicted Evan Gershkovich, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison before being released in the prisoner swap. Both cases were adjudicated by Judge Andrei Mineev.
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