Video posted by a Russian news agency shows 33-year-old Ksenia Karelina being led into a courtroom in handcuffs with her face blurred.
www.dailymail.co.uk
Following her initial arrest, Karelina was then accused of fundraising for a Ukrainian military cause. She is specifically accused of transferring $51.80 from an American bank account to Ukrainian charity, Razom.
Treason charges can carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison. Since 2023, 63 people have been charged with treason in Russia, 37 were found guilty.
'The White House and State Department aware of reports that a dual U.S.-Russia citizen has been detained in Russia. We are working to obtain more information and secure consular access to the individual,' a
White House official told DailyMail.com.
The State Department currently has a Do Not Travel advisory to Russia specifically because of the risk of 'wrongful detentions.'
On her
Facebook page, Karelina says that she's from Yekaterinburg and that she studied ballet at the S. P. Diaghilev school.
The dancer is accused of 'proactively collecting funds since February 2022 in the interests of a Ukrainian organization, which were subsequently used to purchase tactical medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine,' the FSB alleges.
'In addition, the citizen in question repeatedly took part in public actions in support of the
Kyivregime while in the United States,' the agency added, reports
The Moscow Times.