US ballerina arrested in Russia for ‘high treason’ over £41 donation

A US citizen and ballerina, Ksenia Karelina, is facing life imprisonment in Russia for allegedly sending £41 to a Ukrainian charity that supports the Ukrainian military. She was arrested by Russia’s security service, the FSB, on suspicion of ‘high treason’ under a new law that increased the sentence for treason from 20 years.

Karelina, who lives and works in Los Angeles, was visiting her hometown of Yekaterinburg when the FSB detained her. Her arrest coincided with a two-hour interview between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American journalist Tucker Carlson.

Karelina’s lawyer, Alexei Popov, said she was innocent and that the donation was a “humanitarian gesture” to help the victims of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He said she had no ties to the Ukrainian military or political groups.

The FSB has not commented on the case. Still, according to Russian media reports, Karelina was accused of transferring money to a bank account linked to the Ukrainian volunteer battalion Aidar, which is considered a terrorist organisation by Russia.

Karelina is not the first American to be arrested in Yekaterinburg on espionage charges. Last year, another American journalist, Evan Gershkovich, was also detained by the FSB and accused of spying for Ukraine. He was released after three months in custody and deported to the US.