<p>Yekaterinburg: Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina has pleaded guilty in a Russian court to a charge of treason, state news agency RIA quoted her lawyer as saying on Wednesday.</p><p>Karelina, who was not included in a major prisoner swap between Russia and the West last week, is on trial in the city of Yekaterinburg over a donation she made in 2022 to a charity supporting Ukraine.</p><p>Wednesday's hearing was the first in her case since the August 1 swap involving 24 prisoners held in seven countries, which saw three American citizens released from Russian jails.</p>.Russia’s prisoner trade says all you need know about Putin.<p>RIA said the prosecution and defence would sum up their arguments in Karelina's case on Thursday and the verdict would be announced the same day.</p><p>Karelina was born in Russia but emigrated to the United States in 2012 and became a US citizen in 2021. The Los Angeles spa employee faces a sentence of 12 years to life in prison if convicted.</p><p>She was arrested by the FSB security service after flying to Russia to visit her family in Yekaterinburg at the start of the year.</p><p>Investigators brought the treason charge after discovering on her mobile phone that she had donated $51.80 to Razom, a charity that provides aid to Ukraine, when Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The FSB alleged that the ultimate beneficiary was the Ukrainian army.</p><p>Razom said at the time of her arrest that it was "appalled". The charity's website says it supports a range of humanitarian projects including the supply of first aid kits, wood stoves, generators, radios and vehicles to frontline Ukrainian medics.</p><p>It also helps Ukrainian children and vulnerable communities affected by the war, including by providing food, shelter, psychological support and clean water. </p>
<p>Yekaterinburg: Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina has pleaded guilty in a Russian court to a charge of treason, state news agency RIA quoted her lawyer as saying on Wednesday.</p><p>Karelina, who was not included in a major prisoner swap between Russia and the West last week, is on trial in the city of Yekaterinburg over a donation she made in 2022 to a charity supporting Ukraine.</p><p>Wednesday's hearing was the first in her case since the August 1 swap involving 24 prisoners held in seven countries, which saw three American citizens released from Russian jails.</p>.Russia’s prisoner trade says all you need know about Putin.<p>RIA said the prosecution and defence would sum up their arguments in Karelina's case on Thursday and the verdict would be announced the same day.</p><p>Karelina was born in Russia but emigrated to the United States in 2012 and became a US citizen in 2021. The Los Angeles spa employee faces a sentence of 12 years to life in prison if convicted.</p><p>She was arrested by the FSB security service after flying to Russia to visit her family in Yekaterinburg at the start of the year.</p><p>Investigators brought the treason charge after discovering on her mobile phone that she had donated $51.80 to Razom, a charity that provides aid to Ukraine, when Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. The FSB alleged that the ultimate beneficiary was the Ukrainian army.</p><p>Razom said at the time of her arrest that it was "appalled". The charity's website says it supports a range of humanitarian projects including the supply of first aid kits, wood stoves, generators, radios and vehicles to frontline Ukrainian medics.</p><p>It also helps Ukrainian children and vulnerable communities affected by the war, including by providing food, shelter, psychological support and clean water. </p>