A woman holding both US and Russian citizenship has been arrested in Russia on suspicion of treason and financing Ukraine’s army.
According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the unnamed 33-year-old, originally from Los Angeles, was gathering funds for a Ukrainian organisation that ultimately supported Kyiv’s armed forces.
Additionally, she is accused of participating in pro-Ukraine demonstrations in the United States.
The arrest took place in Yekaterinburg.
The FSB stated that the woman had been soliciting donations for the Ukrainian organization since February 2022, coinciding with Russia’s commencement of a full-scale military operation in the country.
The funds were reportedly used to acquire medical supplies, equipment, weapons, and ammunition for the Ukrainian army.
A video released by Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti depicted a woman, her face obscured and blurred, being escorted by a uniformed officer.
She was seen handcuffed, placed in a car, and eventually led into what seemed to be a courtroom holding cell.
The FSB stated that she had acted “against the country’s security” by supporting the Ukrainian army while in the US.
In April of the previous year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree elevating the maximum sentence for treason to life imprisonment, a measure aimed at curbing dissent.
The woman was apprehended in Yekaterinburg, about 1,600km (1,000 miles) east of Moscow, where US journalist Evan Gershkovich was also arrested for espionage charges the year before.
Gershkovich, a seasoned Russia reporter working for the Wall Street Journal at the time, had his pre-trial detention extended until the end of March, facing a potential 20-year sentence if convicted. The US government labeled his detention as “wrongful.”
During an interview with US host Tucker Carlson, Putin expressed optimism about negotiating Gershkovich’s release.
Additionally, other US nationals remain incarcerated in Russia, including former US Marine Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned since 2018 on spying charges, serving a 16-year sentence.