Russia detains Los Angeles ballerina on suspicion of treason
Russian authorities have detained a woman who is a Los Angeles resident and dual national on suspicion of treason for raising funds to support Ukraine in its defense against the Kremlin’s invasion.
Russian authorities have detained a woman who is a Los Angeles resident and dual national on suspicion of treason for raising funds to support Ukraine in its defense against the Kremlin’s invasion.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to NBC News that the detained American is Kseniya Karelina, a Russian-American ballerina. Karelina, 33, became a U.S. citizen in 2021, a U.S. official said.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg said early Tuesday that the woman, who it did not name, has dual Russian-American citizenship. The White House said it was working to secure consular access.
Since 2022, that woman has been “involved in providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of our country,” the statement said.
The statement added the suspect collected money that was spent on medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition in the Ukrainian war effort. No other details nor a description of any evidence were released.
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