Russian-American woman and Los Angeles resident Ksenia Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia for treason

YEKATERINBURG, Russia — US-Russian citizen Ksenia Khavana, who has ties to Los Angeles, was found guilty of treason by a Russian court on Thursday and sentenced to 12 years in prison after she donated $51 to a charity benefiting Ukraine.

Khavana, identified by Russian authorities by her maiden name Ksenia Karelina, was arrested in the Ural Mountain city of Yekaterinburg in February and pleaded guilty in a closed trial last week, news reports said.

Khavana, a 33-year-old former ballet dancer, reportedly obtained U.S. citizenship after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles, returning to Russia to visit her family.

The Russian domestic intelligence service FSB said it had “proactively collected money in the interests of a Ukrainian organization, which was subsequently used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces.”

Human rights group The First Department said the charges related to a $51 donation to a U.S. charity. The trial took place in Yekaterinburg, about 1,416 kilometers east of Moscow.

Her lawyer Mikhail Mushailov said he would appeal the verdict.

“She admitted to being partially guilty of transferring the funds, but did not admit that she had any intention of transferring the funds to the organizations from which they most likely came,” he said.

“She did not expect that the funds she transferred would be used for anti-Russian actions,” he said, according to the Interfax news agency.

Since sending troops to Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has cracked down on dissent, passing laws criminalizing criticism of the operation in Ukraine and statements discrediting the Russian military. Since then, concerns have grown that Russia is targeting U.S. citizens.

On August 1, Russia and the West carried out the largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War. The exchange also involved Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and American security executive Paul Whelan, both of whom were convicted on espionage charges they vehemently denied. Also, US-Russian dual citizen Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for spreading “false information” about the Russian military.

Russia also released several prominent opposition figures who had been imprisoned for criticizing the military operation in Ukraine.