Latest news with #FirstDepartment
Novaya Gazeta Europe
4 days ago
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Russian court sentences veteran to 18 years in prison for treason for posting anti-war leaflets — Novaya Gazeta Europe
A court in the city of Nizhny Novgorod in central Russia has sentenced a veteran to 18 years in a maximum security penal colony after convicting him of treason, calling for terrorism and the illegal storage of explosives, human rights NGO First Department reported on Friday. According to the investigation, Gennady Artemenko, 57, contacted representatives of the Atesh organisation, a military partisan movement active in occupied areas of Ukraine, which has since been declared a 'terrorist organisation', in the early days of the war. At their behest, according to the prosecution, he received instructions to photograph the Russian Federal Security Service building in the city of Dzerzhinsk and to glue leaflets around the city saying 'Let's stop the war together'. The prosecution was not able to provide any evidence of the correspondence between Artemenko and Atesh, however, First Department said. 'We believe that this trial is politically motivated and is due to Artemenko being ethnically Ukrainian. His mother is in Ukraine, and he tried to get permission for her to be transferred [to Russia] so he could take care of her. Artemenko is not a political activist,' his lawyer told First Department. It is assumed Artemenko's contact with the Ukrainian authorities asking for permission to travel to the country to bring his mother to Russia is what aroused the authorities' suspicions. Artemenko was also given a fine of 350,000 rubles (€3,800) and banned from administering websites for three years.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A US-Russia dual national, freed in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington
Russia freed a Russian American convicted of treason on Thursday in exchange for a Russian-German man jailed on smuggling charges in the U.S., a prisoner swap that comes as the two countries work to repair ties. Ksenia Karelina, also identified in the media as Ksenia Khavana, is 'on a plane back home to the United States,' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on social media platform X. She was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and convicted of treason on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine. American authorities have called the case 'absolutely ludicrous.' Arthur Petrov was released as part of a swap in Abu Dhabi, United Araba Emirates, according to the Federal Security Service, or FSB, Russia's main security and counterespionage agency. Petrov was arrested in Cyprus in August 2023 at the request of the U.S. on charges of smuggling sensitive microelectronics to Russia and extradited to the U.S. a year later. Karelina was among a growing number of Americans arrested in Russia in recent years as tensions between Moscow and Washington spiked over the war in Ukraine. Her release is the latest in a series of high-profile prisoner exchanges Russia and the United States carried out in the last three years — and the second since President Donald Trump took office and reversed Washington's policy of isolating Russia in an effort to end the war in Ukraine. Russian and U.S. diplomats are sitting down Thursday for another round of talks in Istanbul on improving diplomatic ties. In February, Russia released American teacher Marc Fogel, imprisoned on drug charges, in a swap that the White House described as part of a diplomatic thaw that could advance peace negotiations. That same month, Russia released another American just days after arresting him on drug smuggling charges. Karelina, a former ballet dancer, reportedly obtained U.S. citizenship after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles. She was arrested when she returned to Russia to visit her family last year. The FSB accused her of 'proactively' collecting money for a Ukrainian organization that was supplying gear to Kyiv's forces. The First Department, a Russian rights group, said the charges stemmed from a $51.80 donation to a U.S. charity aiding Ukraine. 'I am overjoyed to hear that the love of my life, Ksenia Karelina is on her way home from wrongful detention in Russia,' Karelina's fiancé, Chris van Heerden, said in a statement. 'She has endured a nightmare for 15 months and I cannot wait to hold her. Our dog, Boots, is also eagerly awaiting her return.' He thanked Trump and his envoys, as well as prominent public figures who had championed her case. The exchange was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Karelina's lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, also confirmed she was on her way back to the U.S. The United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news agency released photos of Karelina boarding a plane and one of her standing next to Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAE's ambassador to the U.S. The FSB, which said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had pardoned Karelina before the swap, released a video that showed her being escorted to a plane somewhere in Russia. The footage then featured of what appeared to be the scene of exchange at the Abu Dhabi airport, with Petrov walking off a plane and shaking hands with Russian officials on the tarmac. The same video showed Petrov undergoing medical checkups on a flight to Russia. 'I have no particular complaints, just a bit tired,' he said. Petrov was accused by the U.S. Justice Department of involvement in a scheme to procure microelectronics subject to U.S. export controls on behalf of a Russia-based supplier of critical electronic components for the country's weapons industries. He was facing a 20-year prison term in the U.S. Abu Dhabi was the scene of another high-profile prisoner swap between Russia and the United States. In December 2022, American basketball star Brittney Griner was traded for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The UAE has been a mediator in prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine, while the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai has become home to many Russians and Ukrainian who fled there after the start of Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
10-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
US-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina is released in prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington
A U.S.-Russian dual national jailed in Russia on treason charges was freed Thursday in a prisoner exchange with Washington, the woman's lawyer and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Ksenia Karelina also identified in the media as Ksenia Khavana, is 'on a plane back home to the United States,' Rubio said in a post on X. She was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and convicted of treason later that year on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine. The U.S. authorities have called the case against her 'absolutely ludicrous.' Karelina, a former ballet dancer, reportedly obtained U.S. citizenship after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles. She was arrested when she returned to Russia to visit her family last year. Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, said she 'proactively collected money in the interests of one of the Ukrainian organizations, which was subsequently used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons, and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces.' The First Department, aRussian rights group, said the charges stemmed from a $51.80 donation to a U.S. charity aiding Ukraine.
Boston Globe
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
US-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina is released in prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington
Karelina, a former ballet dancer, reportedly obtained U.S. citizenship after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles. She was arrested when she returned to Russia to visit her family last year. Advertisement Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, said she 'proactively collected money in the interests of one of the Ukrainian organizations, which was subsequently used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons, and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces.' The First Department, aRussian rights group, said the charges stemmed from a $51.80 donation to a U.S. charity aiding Ukraine.
