American woman arrested by FSB on suspicion of “high treason”

Karelina received US citizenship in 2021

Russian intelligence services arrested an American woman on suspicion of “high treason” and raising funds for the Ukrainian army.

The FSB in Yekaterinburg in the central Urals said it had “stopped the illegal activities” of a 33-year-old woman, a Los Angeles resident with dual Russian citizenship, and took her into custody.

She became is the latest American woman detained in Russia amid concerns that Vladimir Putin is using detained foreign citizens as a negotiating tool.

Several Americans are currently imprisoned in Russia, including Evan Gershkovitch, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested last year on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government have denied.

Putin suggested that he wanted this. negotiate a prisoner exchange to exchange Russians imprisoned abroad for U.S. citizens detained in Russia.

Maximum penalty of 20 years in prison

The independent news site Mediazona identified the woman detained Tuesday as Ksenia Karelina. She is accused of collecting funds “used to purchase tactical medical products, equipment, weapons and ammunition” for the Ukrainian army, the FSB said.

In addition, she is accused of repeatedly participating in public events in support of Ukraine in the United States.

It is reported that Karelina is married to an American and accepted US citizenship in 2021. She was detained during a trip back to Russia, where she graduated from university, to visit her parents.

An analysis of her social media profiles shows that she studied at the Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg.

She is in jail, local media reported, and faces a maximum prison term of 20 years. for high treason.

Ksenia Karelina is accused of raising funds for the Ukrainian army

The FSB said that she acted “ against the security of our country» and supported the Ukrainian army while in the United States, news agencies report.

A video published by the Russian state news agency TASS on social media shows the woman wearing cream. wearing a down jacket and a white hat pulled down over her eyes, she is accompanied in handcuffs by a man in military camouflage uniform who looks like a Russian soldier.

She is put in a car and then finds herself behind bars in what appears to be a courtroom. In a later scene, the woman's hat is removed, revealing that she has brown hair with blonde streaks pulled back into a bun.