Russia arrests Russian-American citizen on treason charges

A Russian-American citizen has been arrested in Russia on charges of treason for allegedly collecting funds for Ukrainian organizations and openly supporting Kiev.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said the unidentified 33-year-old woman, who lived in Los Angeles, was detained in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg for “providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against” Russian security. .

“Since February 2022, she has proactively collected funds in the interests of one of the Ukrainian organizations, which were subsequently used to purchase tactical instruments, equipment, weapons and ammunition by the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the FSB said in a statement released on Tuesday. (20).

He also accused the woman of participating in “public actions in support of the Kiev regime” while in the US.

“Operational search and investigation activities continue. The court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention for the accused,” the statement added.

A CNN has reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and the U.S. State Department for comment.

Arrest history

Moscow has detained several US citizens in recent years, some of whom were exchanged for Russian prisoners held in Western countries.

The FSB arrested American journalist Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, in Yekaterinburg in March last year on charges of espionage, which he, his employer and the US government vehemently denied.

The Moscow City Court rejected Gershkovich's lawyers' appeal on Tuesday (20) and maintained his pre-trial detention until March 30.

“Having considered the appeal against the decision of the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow to extend the period of detention in relation to Evan Gershkovich, it left the court's decision unchanged and the appeal was not satisfied,” the court said.

If convicted, Gershkovich faces up to 20 years in prison.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently suggested that “a deal can be reached” with the US to swap Gershkovich for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian who is serving a life sentence in Germany for murdering a former Chechen fighter in Berlin in 2019.

“Listen, I will tell you: sitting in a country, a country that is an ally of the United States, is a man who, for patriotic reasons, eliminated a bandit in one of the European capitals,” Putin said in an interview earlier this month with right-wing American commentator Tucker Carlson.

“We have no taboo on how to solve this problem. We are ready to resolve it, but there are certain conditions that are being discussed through special service channels between the intelligence services. I think a deal can be reached,” he told the former Fox News host.

In December 2022, Russia released WNBA star Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap that involved Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner, who had played off-season for a Russian women's basketball team for years, was arrested in February of that year on drug trafficking charges at an airport in the Moscow region.

Former US Marine Paul Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020 after being convicted on espionage charges that he vehemently denies.

Source: CNN Brasil

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