- By Emily Atkinson
- BBC News
Image source, RIA Novosti
Footage showed the unnamed woman being escorted by a uniformed officer
A woman with US-Russian citizenship has been detained in Russia on suspicion of treason and fundraising for Ukraine’s army.
She has been named in US media as Ksenia Karelina, 33, from Los Angeles.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) earlier said an unnamed woman had been arrested over raising funds for a Ukrainian organisation whose ultimate beneficiary was Kyiv’s armed forces.
She was also accused of attending pro-Ukraine rallies in the US.
Ms Karelina was detained by Russian authorities in Yekaterinburg, a city in the southern Ural Mountains.
NBC News reports that her identity was confirmed to them by officials who said she had arrived in Russia at the beginning of January. The US government learned of Ms Karelina’s arrest earlier this month, the US network also said.
She is reported to have obtained US citizenship in 2021 and worked at a spa in Los Angeles – as well as dancing as an amateur ballerina.
The newspaper spoke to her former mother-in-law who expressed concerns that Ms Karelina faced up to life behind bars and being mistreated in Russian prison.
“I don’t have hope for Russian justice. It does not exist. But here, we live in a powerful country, and we can make noise and attract attention,” Eleonora Srebroski said.
The FSB, who did not name Ms Karelina in their statement announcing the arrest, said the detained woman had been collecting money for the Ukrainian military since February 2022 – when Russia first launched its full-scale invasion of the country.
It said the funds had subsequently been used to purchase medical supplies, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian army. No detail or evidence were provided.
Razom for Ukraine, a US-based charity, said it was “appalled” by the reports of the arrest over the alleged donation – also without naming Ms Karelina.
“Our activities, which are in keeping with our charitable purpose and our legal obligations as an American charitable organization, are focused on humanitarian aid, disaster relief, education and advocacy,” the organisation’s CEO Dora Chomiak said in a statement.
Before Ms Karelina was identified in reports, the White House said it was aware of the reported arrest and had been trying to get more information.
Footage shared by Russian state-owned news agency Ria Novosti showed a woman, whose face was obscured by a hat and blurred out, being escorted by a uniformed officer.
She was seen being handcuffed and placed into a car, before being led into what appeared to be a holding cell in a courtroom, from which she was eventually led out.
The FSB said the woman had been acting “against the security of our country” and was supporting the Ukrainian army while in the US.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that the White House and state department were trying to “secure some consular access to that individual”.
In April last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree increasing the maximum sentence for treason to life in jail, up from 20 years, as part of a crackdown on dissent.
The FSB said the woman had been detained in Yekaterinburg, about 1,600km (1,000 miles) east of Moscow – the same city in which US journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested on charges of espionage on 29 March last year.
Mr Gershkovich, an experienced Russia reporter, had been working for the Wall Street Journal at the time.
In January, Russia extended his pre-trial detention again, until the end of March. His appeal against the extension was rejected on Tuesday.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
The US government has designated the reporter as being “wrongfully detained”.
Several other US nationals are currently imprisoned in Russia, including former US marine Paul Whelan, who has been in prison in Russia since 2018. He is serving a 16-year sentence on spying charges.
