The Russian-American Ksenia Karelina confessed her guilt in a Russian court for treason, according to a report by the state news agency RIA, citing a statement from her lawyer, Mikhail Musaïlov.
Karelina, who was not included in the major prisoner exchange between Russia and the West last week, is being tried in the city of Yekaterinburg for a donation she made in 2022 to a charity organization supporting Ukraine.
The hearing held today (7/8) is the first in her case since the exchange of 24 prisoners that took place on August 1, involving detainees from seven countries, including three Americans released from Russian prisons.
The RIA reported that the prosecution and the defense will summarize their arguments in Karelina’s case tomorrow, Thursday, and the verdict will be announced on the same day.
She was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB) after arriving in Russia to visit her family in Yekaterinburg earlier this year.
Investigators charged her with treason after finding on her mobile phone that she had donated $51.80 (about 47 euros) to Razom, a charity providing aid to Ukraine, when Russia invaded the neighboring country in February 2022. The FSB claimed the ultimate beneficiary was the Ukrainian military.
Razom stated at the time of her arrest that they were “shocked.” The charity’s website mentions that it supports a range of humanitarian projects, including supplying first aid kits, wood stoves, generators, radios, and vehicles to Ukrainian frontline doctors.
It also assists children in Ukraine and vulnerable communities affected by the war, providing food, shelter, psychological support, and clean water.
The U.S. Consul General Stuart Wilson attended the court as an observer but remained far from the courtroom along with journalists because the trial was held behind closed doors.
