Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina has pleaded guilty to treason charges after she was arrested for donating money to a charity supporting Ukraine.
Russian prosecutors are seeking a 15-year sentence after the security services accused Ms Karelina of collecting money that was used to purchase tactical supplies for the Ukrainian army.
She was detained by authorities in Yekaterinburg, about 1,600km (1,000 miles) east of Moscow after a family visit in February.
The sentence comes one week after Russia and the West carried out the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War, where 24 people jailed in seven different countries were exchanged.
Ms Karelina’s lawyer said the prosecutors’ request for a 15-year sentence in a penal colony was too severe as the defendant had cooperated with the investigation.
Mikhail Mushailov also said it was “impossible” for Ms Karelina to have been included in the recent prisoner exchange, because an exchange can only happen once the court verdict comes into force.
Russia has been able to procure a somewhat surprising amount of foreign resources: African/Indian soldiers, Iranian drones, assorted Chinese weaponry. (Although sure, they do need to pay up for those eventually.)
Recently the russians have been making progress on the western frontline of ukraine more than ever. I see Ukraine’s break through in the north as a sign they are afraid of a Trump presidency. Ukraine needs russian land as a bargaining tool if they are forced to stop the war.