US ballerina Ksenia Karelina jailed by Russia for 12 years for 'high treason' over £40 donation to Ukraine charity

Ksenia Karelina, who lives in Los Angeles, was seized by police during a visit to her family in Yekaterinburg in January.

She was initially held for petty hooliganism, accused of swearing in public but prosecutors quickly upped the charge to treason.

Karelina, 32, had donated $51.80 (£40) to the New York-based charity Razom for Ukraine shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. She had become a US citizen in 2021 but was seized by Russia's feared FSB security agents in the street.

The FSB accused her of collecting money "used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian Armed Forces."

In August judges found her guilty but gave her leave to appeal her 12-year prison sentence.

Now, reports Russian media, the Second Court of Appeal of General Jurisdiction for the Sverdlovsk region has rejected her appeal and confirmed her original sentence.

The court said on its Telegram social media channel on November 11: "The defendant's appeal was rejected. The sentence will therefore enter into force."

At the time of spa worker Karelina's conviction the White House denounced the court verdict as "nothing less than just vindictive cruelty".

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby added: "We're talking about 50 bucks to try to alleviate the suffering of the people of Ukraine and to call that treason is just absolutely ludicrous."

Washington has accused the Kremlin of arresting its citizens on baseless charges to use them as bargaining chips to secure the release of Russians convicted abroad. At least 10 other Americans remain in jail in Russia on what the US says are spurious charges ranging from being mercenaries to spying and drug smuggling.

Story: NewsX