Current:Home > StocksAlgosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center-A ballet dancer from Los Angeles is being detained in Russia on treason charges. Here's what to know. -MoneyMatrix
Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center-A ballet dancer from Los Angeles is being detained in Russia on treason charges. Here's what to know.
Ethermac View
Date:2025-04-09 02:30:08
Russia's main domestic intelligence agency has arrested a woman with dual U.S. and Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank CenterRussian citizenship on charges of treason, accusing her of collecting money for the Ukrainian military. Authorities did not name the woman, but her longtime employer in California identified her as Ksenia Khavana, whose maiden name is Ksenia Karelina.
The Federal Security Service said in a statement early Tuesday that the Los Angeles resident was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, about 1,100 miles east of Moscow. She had returned to Russia to visit family.
Here is what is known about Khavana and Russia's case against her.
Who is Ksenia Khavana?
Khavana, 33, is a citizen of the U.S. and Russia.
The independent Russian news outlet Mediazona identified her as Ksenia Karelina, her maiden name, and said that she had received U.S. citizenship after marrying an American.
Isabella Koretz, owner of Ciel Spa at the SLS Beverly Hills where Khavana has worked for eight years, told The Associated Press that Khavana, a ballet dancer, came to the U.S. to study at the University of Maryland in Baltimore before relocating to Los Angeles.
She said Khavana is divorced and does not have any relatives in the U.S. Koretz said she has grown close to Khavana over the years and treats her like "she's family."
According to Koretz, Khavana tried to see her family in Russia at least once a year, usually around Christmas and New Year's. This year, Koretz said, Khavana flew into Russia from Istanbul in early January for a two-week trip to spend time with her 90-year-old grandmother, parents and younger sister.
Koretz grew concerned when Khavana stopped returning her messages and phone calls after entering Russia. She said panic set in when Khavana ultimately did not return from her trip in mid-January as planned.
"This girl is like an angel," Koretz said. "You have to understand that she wouldn't hurt a fly."
What is she accused of?
CBS News correspondent Imtiaz Tyab reported that Khavana was arrested after making a donation of only about $51 to a Ukrainian charity. The Russian authorities also said she had attended pro-Ukraine rallies in the U.S.
Russia's Federal Security Service alleges that Khavana had been "proactively" raising funds for a Ukrainian organization since February 2022 — money that it says was "subsequently used to purchase tactical medicine, equipment, weapons and ammunition by the Ukrainian Armed Forces."
The agency said she also took part in "public actions" in the U.S. in support of Kyiv. It did not provide further details about the allegations.
Koretz said Khavana actually was collecting funds for humanitarian aid and had made a donation to Razom for Ukraine, a U.S.-based nonprofit that says it provides medical kits and disaster relief to those affected by Russia's invasion of the country.
"We're talking about diapers and formula, that's what she was collecting money for," Koretz said. "We're not talking about money for weapons."
In its own statement Tuesday, the nonprofit's CEO said she was "appalled" by media reports of the arrest but did not name Khavana or confirm whether the woman had previously donated to the charity.
The organization said in an email to The Associated Press that it does not disclose the identities of its donors to protect their privacy.
"Razom calls on the U.S. government to continue to do everything in its power to demand that President Putin release all those unjustly detained by Russia and to hold Russia's political and military leadership accountable for their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine," Dora Chomiak said in her statement.
Where is she now?
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that the White House and the State Department were aware of reports of the arrest and added that "we are trying to get more information and to secure some consular access to that individual."
The Federal Security Service says that she has been ordered detained as a "preventative measure" while it continues its investigation.
Koretz said that Khavana, meanwhile, has been communicating with her colleagues at the spa through letters and has asked them to help her sell her belongings in Los Angeles, including her car.
"She doesn't want to leave anybody with her debts," Koretz said.
If convicted of treason under article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code, Khavana faces up to 20 years in prison.
Khavana's former mother-in-law Eleonora Srebroski tells CBS News that, in the wake of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny's death in prison, she's afraid of what might happen to her.
"I'm very, very concerned about her, about her physical wellbeing," Srebroski told CBS News on Tuesday. "We know that Navalny was just killed a few days ago. We know it wasn't just a death. It was the murder."
"I am in shock," she told CBS News, adding that there was "no justice in Russia whatsoever."
News on Tuesday of Khavana's arrest came the same day a court in the Russian capital ruled to keep Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in custody pending his trial on espionage charges that he denies.
- In:
- Russia
veryGood! (73)
Related
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Sen. Mitch McConnell's retirement raises question: When is the right time to step back?
- Judge orders Trump off Illinois primary ballot but puts ruling on hold
- Get a $1,071 HP Laptop for $399, 59% off Free People, 72% off Kate Spade & More Leap Day Deals
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Hattie McDaniel’s Oscar, Biden’s big win and more historic moments that happened on a Leap Day
- Richard Lewis, comedian and Curb Your Enthusiasm star, dies at age 76
- Photos and videos show startling scene in Texas Panhandle as wildfires continue to burn
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Will NFL running backs get stiff-armed in free agency again? Ominous signs for big names
Ranking
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Rock legend Rod Stewart on recording some oldies-but-goodies
- Digital outlets The Intercept, Raw Story and AlterNet sue OpenAI for unauthorized use of journalism
- What is leap day? Is 2024 a leap year? Everything you need to know about Feb. 29
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Andy Reid tops NFL coach rankings in players' survey, Josh McDaniels finishes last
- West Virginia House OKs bill doctors say would eliminate care for most at-risk transgender youth
- Kansas City Chiefs superfan ‘ChiefsAholic’ pleads guilty to charges tied to bank robberies
Recommendation
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Ferguson, Missouri, to pay $4.5 million to settle claims it illegally jailed thousands
Advice to their younger selves: 10 of our Women of the Year honorees share what they've learned
Virginia lawmakers again decline to put restrictions on personal use of campaign accounts
Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
In modern cake decoration, more is more. There's a life lesson hidden just beneath the frosting
NYC’s plan to ease gridlock and pump billions into mass transit? A $15 toll for Manhattan drivers
Housing market shows no sign of thawing as spring buying season nears