Russian security services have arrested an American woman on suspicion of “high treason” and raising funds for the Ukrainian army.
The FSB in the central Urals city of Yekaterinburg said it had “suppressed the illegal activities” of a 33-year-old woman, a resident of Los Angeles with dual Russian citizenship, and taken her into custody.
She is the latest American to be detained in Russia amid concerns Vladimir Putin is using detained foreign nationals as a bargaining tool.
Several Americans are currently imprisoned in Russia, including Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, who was arrested last year on espionage charges that he, his employer and the US government had rejected.
Putin has suggested he wants to negotiate a prisoner exchange to swap Russians imprisoned abroad for US citizens detained in Russia.
Maximum 20-year sentence
The woman detained on Tuesday was identified as Ksenia Karelina by the independent news website Mediazona. She is accused of collecting funds “used to purchase tactical medical items, equipment, means of destruction and ammunition” for the Ukrainian army, the FSB said.
In addition, she is accused of repeatedly participating in public events in support of Ukraine in the US.
Ms Karelina is reported to be married to an American and received US citizenship in 2021. She was detained on a trip back to Russia, where she graduated from university, to see her parents.
Analysis of her social media profiles suggest she attended the Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg.
She has been detained in a pre-trial detention jail, local media reported, and faces a maximum prison sentence of up to 20 years for treason.
The FSB said she had been acting “against the security of our country” and had been supporting the Ukrainian army while in the United States, news agencies reported.
A video shared by Russian state news agency Tass on social media shows the woman wearing a cream puffer jacket with a white hat pulled down over her eyes being handcuffed and escorted by a man in military camouflage who appears to be a Russian soldier.
She is ushered into a car and later appears behind bars in what appears to be a courtroom. In a later scene, the woman’s hat is removed, showing she has brown hair with blond highlights tied up in a bun.
Signup bonus from
