LA Ballerina Who Donated $51 to Ukraine Charity Admits Guilt in Russian Trial: Lawyer

Ksenia Karelina, an American-Russian amateur ballet dancer, has admitted “guilt” in a case accusing her of treason against Russia for donating just over $50 to a Ukrainian charity in the United States, as reported by Russia’s state news agency TASS.

Karelina, 33, holds dual nationality and was detained in Yekaterinburg earlier this year while visiting her grandparents. Coincidentally, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was also arrested on espionage charges during his visit to Yekaterinburg.

Russian officials allege that Karelina donated $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity on the day Russia invaded Ukraine. They claim she was collecting money to aid Ukraine in purchasing tactical military supplies. The charity, Razom for Ukraine, is based in New York and provides non-military aid to Ukraine.

Prosecutors are pushing for a harsh 15-year prison sentence, which would place Karelina in a penal colony. Her lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, argues that the sentence is overly severe and that her cooperation in the investigation should be taken into account by the court.

This development comes shortly after the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War. However, Karelina was not part of that exchange because a final ruling had not yet been made in her case.

Mushailov told reporters that once a verdict is reached, her legal team will work towards including her in a future prisoner swap.

Karelina resides in Los Angeles, where she works at a spa and pursues amateur ballet. She became a U.S. citizen in 2021. Since her arrest, her partner, Chris Van Heerden, has been advocating for her release.

“I believe America will bring her back to me,” Van Heerden said earlier this year.

The couple had been vacationing in Istanbul just before she left for Russia. Van Heerden returned to the United States, while Karelina continued to Russia to see her family.

“I thought it might be dangerous for her to go, given the ongoing war in Ukraine, but she reassured me that she was Russian and everything would be fine,” Van Heerden told the Los Angeles Times in February. “For her birthday in December, I bought her a ticket. She was so excited. Now, I regret it deeply.”

U.S. officials were unaware of her arrest until February 8.

Karelina’s detainment and trial coincide with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest efforts to clamp down on dissent within the country.

In April, Putin signed a decree increasing the maximum sentence for treason charges to life imprisonment, up from the previous maximum of 20 years.