The trial of a Russian American dual citizen whom Russia accuses of treason opened on Thursday as tensions rise between Washington and Moscow, including over the arrests of two American journalists. The trial is being held behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, in the same court that next week is to begin hearing the case of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested in March 2023 and charged with espionage. The defendant was identified by Russian authorities as Los Angeles resident Ksenia Karelina, although U.S. media reports frequently use the surname Khavana, the name of her ex-husband.
Quick Read
- Trial Commences: The trial of Russian American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina on treason charges began Thursday amid rising tensions between Washington and Moscow.
- Closed Proceedings: The trial is being held behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, the same court that will soon hear the case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who faces espionage charges.
- Defendant Identification: Russian authorities identified the defendant as Ksenia Karelina, a Los Angeles resident, though U.S. media often use her former married name, Khavana.
- Arrest Details: Karelina, born in Yekaterinburg, was arrested in February while visiting her family.
- Accusations: The Federal Security Service charges that Karelina raised funds for a Ukrainian organization supplying the Ukrainian military. Her boyfriend claims she only donated about $50 once to the organization.
- Potential Sentence: If convicted, Karelina faces up to 20 years in prison. Russian courts almost always convict in criminal cases.
- Trial Adjournment: The trial was adjourned in the afternoon and will resume on August 7.
- Gershkovich Case: Evan Gershkovich, the highest-profile American detained in Russia, is accused of espionage, with his trial set to begin next Wednesday.
- Additional Arrest: Another U.S.-Russian dual citizen, a journalist for Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, has been detained since October on charges related to gathering military information and not registering as a foreign agent.
- Increased Crackdown: Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country has intensified its crackdown on dissent, with new laws criminalizing criticism of the war and the Russian military, raising concerns about the targeting of U.S. nationals.
The Associated Press has the story:
Treason trial of Russian American woman opens as tensions rise between Washington & Moscow
Newslooks- MOSCOW (AP) —
The trial of a Russian American dual citizen whom Russia accuses of treason opened on Thursday as tensions rise between Washington and Moscow, including over the arrests of two American journalists. The trial is being held behind closed doors in Yekaterinburg, in the same court that next week is to begin hearing the case of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested in March 2023 and charged with espionage. The defendant was identified by Russian authorities as Los Angeles resident Ksenia Karelina, although U.S. media reports frequently use the surname Khavana, the name of her ex-husband.
Karelina was born in Yekaterinburg and was arrested in February while visiting her family.
Russia’s main domestic security agency, the Federal Security Service, charges that Karelina raised money for a Ukrainian organization that was providing weapons, ammunition and other supplies to the Ukrainian military. Her boyfriend has said she made a single donation of about $50 to a Ukrainian organization, according to media reports.
Karelina faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Almost all Russian criminal cases that make it to court end in convictions. The trial was adjourned in the afternoon and the next session was set for Aug. 7, Russian news agencies said.
Gershkovich, the highest-profile American behind bars in Russia, is accused of gathering secret information from a tank factory in Nizhny Tagil, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Yekaterinburg. His employers deny the allegation, and the U.S. State Department has declared him to be wrongfully detained.
Gershkovich’s trial, also closed, is to begin next Wednesday.
A journalist for U.S.-funded Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe with U.S. and Russian dual citizenship has been held since October on charges of gathering military information and failing to register as a foreign agent.
Since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has sharply cracked down on dissent and has passed laws that criminalize criticism of the operation in Ukraine and remarks considered to discredit the Russian military. Concern has risen since then that Russia could be targeting U.S. nationals for arrest.
