Russia’s main security agency arrested a dual citizen of Russia and the United States alleging she committed high treason for donating funds to an appeal aiding Ukraine.
The Federal Security Service (F.S.B.) identified the detainee as a 33-year-old woman who lives in Los Angeles, the New York Times reports.
The F.S.B. said in a statement that she had raised money for a Ukrainian organization that bought weapons and other equipment for Ukraine’s military.
The Russian news outlet Media Zona identified her as Ksenia Karelina. She is reportedly 33-years-old and a resident of Los Angeles.
The NYT report added:
Perviy Otdel, a group of Russian lawyers who specialize in cases involving accusations of treason and other politically charged allegations, said that the woman had been accused of treason for sending just over $50 to Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based nonprofit organization that sends assistance to the country.
Meanwhile the F.S.B. said the detained woman had been arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg in central Russia. She was reportedly in the country visiting her parents.
RIA Novosti, a Russian state news agency, published a video it alleged showed the woman, wearing a white hat that covered her eyes, being handcuffed and escorted by masked security service officers.
If convicted, she could face up to 20 years in prison.
A court in Yekaterinburg was scheduled to hear an appeal by the newly arrested woman on Tuesday, according to the court’s website, which also said that she was accused of treason.
Russia has a recent history of detaining and jailing U.S. citizens on a variety of alleged offenses.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine detained in Russia, was detained in December 2018 and is serving a 16-year sentence for espionage, charges he and the U.S. government deny.
U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich is also being held in Russia.
Gershkovich, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, was arrested in March 2023 on a reporting trip in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.
Reporter for the Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich is escorted by officers from the Lefortovsky court to a bus, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
He is the first Western journalist since Soviet times to be charged by Russia with spying, allegations vehemently denied by Gershkovich, his employer and the US government.
AP notes some analysts believe Moscow may be using jailed Americans as bargaining chips after U.S.-Russian tensions soared when Russia sent troops into Ukraine.
At least two U.S. citizens arrested in Russia in recent years, including WNBA star Brittney Griner, have been exchanged for Russians jailed in the U.S.