Ksenia Karelina: U.S.-Russian On Trial In Russia For $50 Donation—Here’s What To Know

TOPLINE

Russian-American Ksenia Karelina stood trial in a Russian court on Thursday, after Russian officials claimed she committed treason by fundraising for Ukraine’s military because of an alleged $51.80 donation to a pro-Ukraine charity.

Karelina, 33, faces a closed-door trial in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on charges of treason, though the court reportedly adjourned the case until Aug. 7 on Thursday for an unspecified reason.

Karelina, who was born in Russia and became a U.S. citizen in 2021, was arrested at a Russian airport in February while on her way to visit her 90-year-old grandmother, her boyfriend Chris Van Heerden told NBC, after the couple vacationed in Instabul for four days.