Russian prosecutors requested a 15-year prison sentence for a dual U.S.-Russian citizen accused of donating money to a Ukrainian charity, state media reported Thursday, citing her lawyer.
Ksenia Karelina was arrested in January while visiting her family in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. On Wednesday, she pleaded guilty to treason charges during a closed hearing, her lawyer Mikhail Mushailov said.
“The prosecution requested a sentence of 15 years imprisonment,” Mushailov told state media on Thursday, adding that a judge would announce a final verdict on Aug. 15.
Treason cases are heard behind closed doors in Russia as the authorities say they deal with sensitive information. U.S. Consul General Stuart Wilson was turned away from Wednesday’s hearing, according to RIA Novosti.
Independent broadcaster Sotavision reported that Karelina’s case is being handled by the same judge who sentenced U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich to prison for espionage last month before his release in a prisoner swap.
Karelina, a 33-year-old ballerina and spa employee in Los Angeles, is accused of donating around $50 to the New York-based charity Razom shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Razom, which provides humanitarian aid and disaster relief to Ukrainians affected by the war, has called on U.S. authorities to demand Karelina’s release from Russia.
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