Los Angeles Ballerina On Trial For Treason After Reported $50 Donation To Ukrainian Charity
A Russian-American ballerina began trial Thursday after being accused of committing treason for a reported $50 donation to a Ukrainian charity, per 'The Guardian.'
Ksenia Karelina — who lives and works in Los Angeles — was detained by police in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg late January after taking a trip to Russia to visit her family.
Karelina who became a citizen of the U.S. in 2021, was held by Vladimir Putin's Federal Security Service (FSB) while visiting her grandparents. Detained due to suspicion of treason, the amateur ballerina can be seen held in a glass case, casually wearing a plaid button-up shirt and blue jeans.
Trial is set to be held behind closed doors.
'The Daily Mail' reported that Karelina was accused of "funding the Ukrainian armed forces" and "taking part in public actions to support the Kyiv regime" after she reportedly donated $51.80 via bank transfer to a Ukrainian charity in the United States.
Per the news outlet, the 33-year-old was stopped at Koltsovo airport Yekaterinburg when her cell phone was checked using the word "Ukraine'' as a keyword. Officers allegedly found evidence of the bank transfer to a pro-Ukrainian foundation located in the U.S.
Although she wasn't detained in that moment, the next day she was invited to drop into a police station. Yekaterinburg journalist Dmitry Kolezev reported that upon her arrival, she was met with FSB officers.
Karelina was held for 14 days on an administrative charge of "using obscene language in a public space." However, she was told after that two weeks that she was unexpectedly facing more serious charges.
According to the ballerina's ex-mother-in-law, Eleonora Srebroski, the L.A. Russian-American made a small donation to a New York-based organization called Razom for Ukraine — a non-profit that sends non-military assistance to the country.
Karelina was briefly married to Srebroki's son, who reportedly described her as a fun-loving woman who didn't care much about politics. The CEO of Razom, Dora Chomiak, made a public statement for the Californian, stating that the organization is "appalled" at her arrest.
"Vladimir Putin has repeatedly shown that he holds no sovereign border, foreign nationality or international treaty above his own narrow interest," Chomiak said, per 'The Mail.'
She concluded: "His regime attacks civil society activists who stand up for freedom and democracy."
