A Russian-American woman, arrested earlier this year while visiting family in Russia, has begun her trial on charges of treason, accused of raising funds for the Ukrainian army.
Ksenia Karelina, originally from Russia but now living in Los Angeles, where she works as an aesthetician, faces a potential sentence of 12 years to life imprisonment if convicted. The trial is being conducted behind closed doors, following the usual practice in Russia for such cases, with acquittals for treason being rare.
The proceedings took place in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals, where a brief video released by the court showed Karelina sitting in a glass enclosure, dressed in jeans and a green plaid shirt. Despite the circumstances, she managed a faint smile as photographers captured images of her.
Currently, there are at least twelve Americans detained in Russia, part of a broader group of foreign nationals caught up in the strained relations between Moscow and Washington during the conflict over Ukraine.
Karelina was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in January while visiting her parents and younger sister in Yekaterinburg. According to her former mother-in-law, Eleonora Srebroski, Karelina had returned home for the New Year after being surprised with a plane ticket by her boyfriend, assuring him that Russia was safe and there was no cause for concern.
Initially arrested on charges related to minor “petty hooliganism,” Karelina was later accused of treason. Srebroski mentioned that Karelina had made a modest donation to Razom for Ukraine, a nonprofit based in New York that provides non-military aid to the country invaded by Russian forces in 2022.
In her early thirties, Karelina immigrated to the United States in 2012 through a work-study program and was briefly married to Srebroski’s son. Her ex-husband described her as someone who enjoyed life and didn’t engage much in politics.
Karelina’s social media profiles depict her enjoying leisure activities such as beach outings and trips, devoid of any overt political commentary. One photograph from November 2021 shows her in a long dress, smiling and holding a small American flag, captioned ‘Citizenship.’
