Russian-U.S. woman sent to prison for 12 years for donation

A Russian court on Thursday convicted Ksenia Karelina, age 33, of treason. Karelina, who held dual citizenship, donated about $50 to a charity that supports Ukraine, according to a Facebook post from the Beverly Hills hotel spa where she works. Officials arrested Karelina earlier this year while she was visiting her family. In addition to the 12-year sentence at a general penal colony, the court also fined her about $3,300 dollars, Russian media reported. Karelina’s lawyer Mikhail Mushailov told Russian state news agency TASS that he will appeal the verdict.

Is this case connected to other recent cases? Karelina pleaded guilty to the treason charges in a closed-door trial that began in June. She appeared in the same court that last month convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage. Gershkovich and two other Americans returned home earlier this month after a prisoner exchange with Russia. Karelina was not included in the exchange.

How has the U.S. responded? The Kremlin is repressing the rights of Russian citizens and dragging the country backward, the U.S. Embassy in Russia wrote in a Thursday statement. The U.S. State Department sometimes has trouble offering dual citizens consular services because Russia doesn’t recognize dual citizenship, spokesman Matthew Miller said in February.

Dig deeper: Listen to Jill Nelson, Nick Eicher, and Lindsay Mast’s report about the prisoner exchange.