US-Russian ballerina Ksenia Karelina jailed for 12 years just over $50 donation
A Russian court sentenced former semi-professional ballerina Ksenia Karelina to 12 years for treason over an alleged donation to a Ukrainian charity.
A Russian-American woman has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason over an alleged $50 donation to a US-based charity supporting Ukraine. 33-year-old former semi-professional ballerina Ksenia Karelina, who pleaded guilty to the charges, was detained at the Yekaterinburg detention centre earlier this year while travelling from Russia to Los Angeles.
The Thursday verdict comes merely weeks after the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Karelina's lawyer, Mikhaeil Mushailov, said he would appeal the verdict. He also told Reuters that Karelina, who holds dual American and Russian citizenship, hoped to be included in a similar swap in the future.
The Los Angeles resident had travelled to Russia in January to visit her grandparents.
Why was Ksenia Karelina detained?
In February, Chris Van Heerden, the amateur ballerina's boyfriend, told CNN Karelina “had no fear, she was so proud to be going home… she’s so proud of Russia." A former boxing champion in his own right, Heerden had bought her the ticket to visit Russia as a birthday gift. However, Karelina's conviction on treason charges claims that her charity donation of just over $50 was sent to the New York-based non-profit Razom for Ukraine to purchase equipment and ammunition for the Ukrainian army.
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On the contrary, Karelina's boyfriend previously emphasised that she never talked about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. “She doesn’t watch the news, she doesn’t intervene with anything,” he said.
She was last working as an esthetician at a Californian spa. Karelina and Heerden were holidaying in Istanbul, Turkey, when the former started feeling homesick. While her boyfriend flew back to California, she flew back to Russia – for the first time in several years – where she was ultimately detained.
Russian-American ballerina's experience in the Russian detention centre
In March 2024, Karelina's boyfriend detailed her squalid experience at the Russian detention centre after receiving a letter from her. Heerden told Fox & Friends (Fox News) that her day began with a 6 am wake-up call. Despite the fixed 10 pm bedtime, “the lights stay on all the time, so she's got trouble sleeping.” The place also had a history of guards locking the door, leaving the inmates in icy temperatures for hours. This unlocked a new fear in Karelina's mind, who then chose to remain inside at all times.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FBS) declared at the time that she had been “providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against Russian security.