यूक्रेन को 50 डॉलर चंदा दिया, 12 साल की कैद: दादी से मिलने रूस आई अमेरिकी महिला को सुनाई गई सजा

Ksenia has been in a Russian prison for 7 months. She is accused of funding an anti-Russian charity.

A woman in Russia has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. She donated $50 (about Rs 4200) to Razom, a Ukrainian charity. The woman’s name is Ksenia Khavana (33). She has American citizenship.

Ksenia was arrested in February this year from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. It is located 1600 km east of Moscow. Here she had come to visit her grandmother. Her name before marriage was Ksenia Karilina. She was tried last week, in which she was convicted.

In court, Ksenia was accused of giving money to a Ukrainian organization that helps the Ukrainian army buy weapons and ammunition. Ksenia’s lawyer said that he will challenge the court’s decision in a higher court.

Ksenia acquired US citizenship after living in Los Angeles for 4 years.

She had come to meet her grandmother, got caught when her phone was confiscated
The lawyer said that Ksenia admitted to transferring the money, but she did not know that this organization sends money to the Ukrainian army which is used against Russia. She was told that this fund would be used to help the victims of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Ksenia is a former ballet dancer. She married an American citizen and took citizenship of the US in 2021 after moving to the US. Ksenia arrived in Russia in January. Her phone was confiscated by the police because she was from the US.

The police found proof of funding in the phone. She was about to return to the US but was arrested before that. She was charged with treason.

Ksenia with her lawyer in the courtroom.

America said- it is wrong to give 12 years of punishment for 50 dollars
National Security Spokesperson John Kirby in the Biden administration has condemned Khawana’s sentence. He said that US officials are investigating Khawana’s case. He said that calling someone a traitor and giving him 12 years of sentence for just donating 50 dollars is absurd.

Ksenia’s husband Chris told CNN that he was shocked by the verdict. He came to Istanbul airport in Turkey to see his wife off. She had just gone to Russia for a month, but now she has been sentenced to 12 years.

Chris said that his wife has nothing to do with politics. She must have made the donation on the advice of a friend.

Chris said that he wrote a letter to his wife last Wednesday. Although he knows that she will never get to read it, he is still doing it.

Prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries
This case of Ksenia has come up when the biggest prisoner exchange took place between the US, Russia and Western countries earlier this month. This deal was done in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Under this, 26 prisoners imprisoned in the jails of 7 countries including the US, Russia and Germany were released. This was considered the biggest deal since the Cold War.

Out of these, 10 prisoners including 2 minors were sent to Russia. Whereas 13 prisoners were sent to Germany and 3 prisoners were sent to America. US President Joe Biden had already approved this deal. This was the third deal related to the exchange of prisoners between America and Russia in the last 3 years.

Earlier, there was an exchange of prisoners between the two countries in April 2022 and December 2022.

American journalist and Navy sailor released
American journalist Ivan Gershkovich was also released under the deal. Russia had arrested Ivan in March last year on charges of spying for the US intelligence agency CIA. Ivan was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Apart from Ivan, two more American citizens were released from Russia. These included Paul Whelan, who was a part of the US Navy, and radio journalist Alsou Kurmasheva. Paul Whelan was arrested by Russia from a hotel in Moscow in 2018 for spying. Radio journalist Alsou was arrested for spreading fake news about the Russian army.

The photo is of American journalist Evan and Navy sailor Paul Whelan

A total of 10 prisoners left for Russia
In the exchange, 10 Russian prisoners including 2 minors were released. Many of these people are associated with Russia’s intelligence agency FSB. One of them is a Russian citizen named Vadim Krasikov, who was brought to Ankara from Berlin, the capital of Germany. Vadim had shot an enemy of Russia in Berlin in 2019. He was later arrested.