Russia’s most important safety company mentioned on Tuesday that it had arrested a twin citizen of Russia and america on accusations of committing state treason by elevating funds for Ukraine.
The Federal Safety Service, generally known as the F.S.B., recognized the detainee as a 33-year-old lady who lives in Los Angeles. It mentioned in a statement that she had raised cash for a Ukrainian group that purchased weapons and different tools for Ukraine’s army.
Perviy Otdel, a gaggle of Russian legal professionals who concentrate on instances involving accusations of treason and different politically charged allegations, mentioned that the lady had been accused of treason for sending simply over $50 to Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based nonprofit group that sends assistance to the country.
The F.S.B. mentioned that the lady had been arrested within the metropolis of Yekaterinburg in central Russia. RIA Novosti, a Russian state information company, printed a video that it mentioned confirmed the lady, carrying a white hat that lined her eyes, being handcuffed and escorted by masked safety service officers.
If convicted, she may withstand 20 years in jail.
The detention of Americans on Russian soil in recent times has raised suspicions that the Kremlin views them as invaluable belongings to be traded for high-profile Russians held in custody in america and different Western international locations.
On the identical day that the lady’s arrest was introduced, a Moscow court docket rejected an attraction by Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter for The Wall Road Journal whom Russia arrested final spring on an espionage cost, to elevate his pretrial detention. It dominated that Mr. Gershkovich — who, alongside along with his employer and the American authorities, has denied the cost in opposition to him — should keep in jail a minimum of till the tip of March.
The variety of state treason instances in Russia has been rising steadily since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Final 12 months, about 50 individuals have been accused of the offense, according to Perviy Otdel, starting from high-profile critics of the Kremlin to a scholar accused of photographing Russian Military formations in his city.
A court docket in Yekaterinburg was scheduled to listen to an attraction by the newly arrested lady on Tuesday, according to the court’s website, which additionally mentioned that she was accused of treason.
The Russian information outlet Media Zona identified her as Ksenia Karelina. Perviy Otdel identified her as Ksenia (Karelina) Khavana, with Karelina doubtless being her maiden identify.
In keeping with Ms. Karelina’s profile on VK, a Russian social community, she received United States citizenship in 2021. Her profile, which additionally recognized her as a scholar on the College of Maryland in Baltimore, mentioned that she had graduated from Urals Federal College in Yekaterinburg in 2014.
Perviy Otdel mentioned that the lady was arrested on the finish of January and accused of treason on Feb. 7.
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