Russian prosecutors seek 15-year prison sentence for Russian-American beautician Ksenia Karelinawho pleaded guilty to treason after being arrested for donating $51 to a US humanitarian organization helping Ukrainians who suffered in the war, Russian state media said.
Russia accuses Karelina of collecting money to buy supplies for the Ukrainian army.
Karelina was held in January when she traveled from the U.S. to Russia to visit family. Her former mother-in-law, Eleonora Srebroski, said she had received a gift ticket from her boyfriend to fly back to 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 initially detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service on charges of “petty hooliganism,” but the charge was later upgraded to treason.
Karelina’s trial is being overseen by the judge who sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison.
Her lawyer called the prosecutor’s request for a 15-year prison sentence “harsh” and said he would take “all legally necessary measures” to ensure his client is included in a prisoner exchange in the future.
“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 important actions to ensure that this is carried out.”
Evan Gershkovich was released as part of a prisoner exchange earlier this month.
