A U.S.-Russian ballerina who was not part of last week’s massive prisoner swap between Russia and the West has pleaded guilty Wednesday to a treason charge, reports say.
Ksenia Karelina made her first appearance in Russian court in Yekaterinburg since the Aug. 1 release of Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva, according to Reuters.
Karelina, a dual-citizen, lives in Los Angeles but was detained while visiting family in Russia in February. Authorities claim that Karelina raised money for the Ukrainian army and took part in “public actions” that supported Ukraine while in the U.S.
Karelina’s lawyer said Wednesday that she has entered a guilty plea and a verdict in the case is expected to be announced Thursday, Reuters is reporting, citing Russian state media.
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Ksenia Karelina is seen in Maryland in December 2015. Reuters is reporting Wednesday that she pleaded guilty in a Russian court to a treason charge. (Eleonora Srebroski/Handout/Reuters)
She reportedly told her boyfriend that Russia was safe, and he had no reason to fear her visiting, according to her former mother-in-law Eleonora Sreborski.
While in Russia earlier this year, authorities reportedly examined Karelina’s phone, producing photos that appear to show her at an anti-Putin and anti-war protest in Los Angeles, where she was holding a sign declaring, “We want peace.”
One pro-Putin news outlet indicated that the charge related to money she sent to a Ukrainian charity – a total sum of $51.80 – claiming “she understood where and what she was sending.”
Ksenia Karelina is seen during a previous court appearance in Russia. (East2West)
Sreborski had claimed that Karelina donated, but that it was to Razom for Ukraine, which sends non-military aid to the country.
Karelina, shortly after her arrest, tried to appeal her case, but the court rejected the motion and extended her pre-trial detention, which took place in a Siberian jail.
Chris Van Heerden, her boyfriend, says Ksenia Karelina is proud to be American and Russian. (Fox News)
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If found guilty, she would face a sentence of 12 years to life in prison, Reuters reports.
