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.

  • YeetPics@mander.xyz
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    1 month ago

    That takes an insane amount of idiocy to use trackable money attached to your passport to donate to the opposite side of the war. And it takes an insane amount of idiocy to think that you should donate in the first place. Donating refugees? Sure, they need help. Donating to people who will only make the war last longer but not solve the cause? Why? NATO can stop the war any day, but they don’t want to. And until NATO says “stop” no amount of money will save Ukraine, Russia has resources to continue this for years more, Ukraine doesn’t have those resources and 99% relies on Europe support, or they would cease to exist already. balls to sentence someone to life for a fucking donation.

    Get fucked Putin, we will all dance/piss on your grave.