Ksenia Karelina, a U.S. citizen, was arrested while visiting her family in Russia and faces charges of treason for allegedly making a small donation to a charity supporting Ukraine.
A woman with U.S. citizenship was arrested while visiting her family in Russia and faces charges of treason for allegedly making a small donation to a charity supporting Ukraine.
Ksenia Karelina moved to America from Russia about 10 years ago to pursue her dreams of becoming a ballerina. The 33-year-old now lives in Los Angeles and works as a manager at a spa in Beverly Hills.
Karelina was taken into custody for reportedly transferring $51.80 from a U.S. bank account to Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based nonprofit dedicated to helping “Ukraine stay on the path of fostering democracy and prosperity” by sending assistance to the country.
Russia's main security agency, the Federal Security Service, or FSB, said the woman they detained was arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg in central Russia. RIA Novosti, a Russian state news agency, published a video of a woman said to be Karelina wearing a white hat that covered her eyes as she was handcuffed and escorted by masked security service officers.
Karelina had traveled to Russia to visit her parents and younger sister when she was arrested.
“I was asking myself, why did she go? Why did she go?” her former mother-in-law says. “I am worried about her physical being because she's a little teeny tiny, very gentle lady. And I know that when you're in jail, it's crazy. So, she's gonna be physically abused. That's my biggest fear.”
If convicted, Karelina could face up to 20 years in prison.
Karelina was arrested on the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down for a softball interview with Tucker Carlson, who has been widely criticized for giving Putin a platform.
On “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart mocked the former Fox host for marveling at how cheap a week's worth of groceries were in Moscow compared to here in the U.S.
“It was about $104. Seeing how cheap things are, and how people live, it will radicalize you against our leaders, that’s how I feel: radicalized,” Carlson said.
“Radicalized! ‘And it will radicalize you,’” Stewart said. “Unless you understand basic economics. So, $104 for groceries sounds like a great bargain... until you realize that Russians earn around $200 a week.”
