Russian prosecutors are demanding 15 years in prison for a Russian-American esthetician Ksenia Karelinawho pleaded guilty to treason after she was arrested for donating $51 to a US-based humanitarian group helping Ukrainians suffering in the war, according to Russian state media.
Russia accuses Karelina of collecting money that was used to buy supplies for the Ukrainian army.
Karelina was detained in January when she traveled from the US to Russia to visit family. Her former mother-in-law, Eleonora Srebroski, said she had been given a plane ticket as a gift by her boyfriend to fly back to see her parents and younger sister in the eastern city of Yekaterinburg.
Srebroski told CBS News that Karelina had assured her boyfriend at the time that it was safe for her to visit Russia and that he had no reason to worry about her.
Karelina was first detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service on charges of “petty hooliganism”, but the charge was later upgraded to treason.
Karelin’s trial is being overseen by the judge who saw Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Her lawyer called the prosecutor’s request for a 15-year sentence “harsh” and said he would “take every legally important step” to try to get his client included in a future prisoner exchange.
“After the verdict, of course, we will work in this direction,” Karelina’s lawyer said. “This is the client’s wish, so I will take all legally necessary steps to ensure this is carried out.”
Evan Gershkovich was freed as part of a prisoner swap Earlier this month.