The Russian-American ballerina, who donated $51 to a Ukrainian charity, is currently facing a closed-door trial in Russia on charges of “high treason.”
According to Reuters, Ksenia Karelina, a US citizen who was born in Russia, could face a sentence of 12 years to life imprisonment if convicted. Her trial began on Thursday in a court located in Yekaterinburg and is currently being held in secret.
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According to the outlet, a notice posted on the court’s website informed that the trial has been postponed until August 7th. However, the reason for the adjournment remains unknown at the moment.
In February, Karelina, who is 33 years old, was arrested on charges of treason. The allegations against her were that she contributed $51.80 to Razom for Ukraine, a non-profit organization based in New York that offers non-military assistance to the conflict-ridden country.
In February 2022, Karelina made a donation on the same day that Ukraine was invaded by Vladimir Putin. At the time, she was residing in Los Angeles and working at a luxury hotel spa located in Beverly Hills, where she was building her life.
On January 28, her life took a drastic turn when she got arrested during her visit to Russia to meet her family. The news of her arrest made headlines and caused an uproar.
According to a statement by Russia’s Federal Security Service, she had been actively gathering funds that were later utilized to buy tactical medical equipment, means of destruction, and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces.
According to her boyfriend, Chris Van Deerden, “She stays out of anything related to the war.”
He added that he has faith in America to bring her back to him.
After being detained in the county and sentenced to 14 days in detention for violating public order, she was later charged with treason.
While celebrating the new year in Istanbul with her boyfriend, he made the decision to return home to the US, while she headed to Russia.
In a late February interview with The Los Angeles Times, Van Deerden shared that he had concerns about his daughter’s safety given the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, his daughter reassured him, stating that she was Russian and confident that everything would be fine.
In regretful tones, he shared, “I bought her a ticket for her birthday in December, and she was over the moon with excitement. But now, I can’t help but berate myself for it.”
The charity issued a statement denouncing her detention and urging the US government to use all its resources to demand the release of all those who have been wrongly imprisoned by Russia. Additionally, they called for holding Russia’s political and military leaders accountable for their unwarranted invasion of Ukraine.
