Updated Aug 15, 2024 - World

Russian court sentences American woman to 12 years in prison

A Russian court on Thursday convicted a Russian-American woman on treason charges and sentenced her to 12 years in prison.

The big picture: Ksenia Karelina, 33, was detained in Russia in February while visiting family. She was not included in the historic prisoner swap that freed fellow Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan earlier this month.

Karelina was charged with treason earlier this year for allegedly donating about $52 to a Ukrainian charity in the U.S.

Catch up quick: Karelina, who has dual U.S.-Russian citizenship, had a closed-door trial that began in June in the city of Yekaterinburg.

Driving the news: The Russian court sentenced Karelina to 12 years in prison at a general penal colony.

She was also sentenced to "subsequent restriction of freedom" for another year-and-a-half and a fine of 300,000 rubles (about $3,389), Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Her lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, said he would appeal the verdict, per TASS.

What they're saying: "I was not surprised by the prison sentence or the way the trial was conducted," Mushailov told the New York Times Thursday.

He also said he would be "taking all the legally required actions" to ensure Karelina is included in any future prisoner swaps between Russia and the West.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Axios Thursday that it "seeks access to all detained U.S. citizens overseas" but had nothing further to add regarding the case, citing privacy reasons.

Go deeper: Treason trial of detained American woman begins in Russia

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from the U.S. State Department.