Dual US-Russian citizen detained in Russia for donating $51.80 to Ukrainian charity, US employer says

Ksenia Karelina seen here in an undated social media photo. Ksenia Karelina/Facebook

Dual US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina, a 33-year-old Los Angeles resident, is being detained in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg because she donated money to a Ukrainian charity while she was in the United States, according to her employer.

Russia accused Karelina of "providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of our country."

Karelina entered Russia on January 2, and the United States learned on February 8 that she had been arrested, a US official told CNN. Consular access still has not been granted, according to the official.

Before her arrest, she worked as an esthetician at Ciel Spa at SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, according to the spa. She was visiting family members, including her 90-year-old grandmother, at the time of her arrest, the spa said.

Karelina is being wrongly "accused of treason for allegedly donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity in the US," according to her employer's statement. "To know Ksenia is to love her and this heartbreaking news is so difficult to share but it must be done to spread her story and seek justice. Please help us spread the word to bring Ksenia home," Ciel Spa said. 

What social media tells us about her: Karelina posted often about her life on the Russian social media platform VK. In November 2021, she posted photos standing between American flags holding a piece of paper and an American flag. In the post, she said she received her US citizenship. The US official confirmed that she became a US citizen in 2021 and said the United States government is tracking her detention.

In another post on July 2017, Karelina posted many pictures appearing to be of her wearing a ballerina costume, including pointe shoes, a leotard, and a tutu in New York City.