Russian authorities have detained a dual-citizen Los Angeles woman on treason charges for raising funds to help Ukraine fight the Kremlin's invasion.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in the Ural Mountain city of Yekaterinburg announced early Tuesday that the unnamed 33-year-old woman holds dual Russian and American citizenship.
Since 2022, she has been “engaged in providing financial aid to foreign countries in activities contrary to the security of our country,” the statement said.
The statement said the suspects collected funds for Ukraine's war effort, which were used for medicines, equipment, weapons and ammunition. No other details or description of the evidence were released.
“Furthermore, this national has repeatedly participated in public actions in support of the Kiev regime in the United States.”
She has been charged with treason under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code, which carries a sentence of 12 to 20 years in prison and confiscation of property.
As with previous arrests of foreign nationals and dual nationals, the woman is being held under a pretrial detention order.
There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow or the State Department.
In January, American national Robert Romanoff Woodland was arrested and detained on drug trafficking charges.
Ars Kurmasheva, a Russian-American double reporter, was detained late last year and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been in custody for nearly a year on charges of espionage, which he denies.
The United States says Mr. Gershkovic is one of a number of nationals wrongfully detained in the country, including former US Marine Paul Whelan.
Saturday marks the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and President Joe Biden's administration is considering whether to supply Kiev with long-range ATACMS missiles as a new aid package is debated in Congress.
