Russian authorities announce arrest of Los Angeles woman accused of treason

A Los Angeles woman was arrested in Russia and charged with treason, accused of collecting funds to support Ukrainian organizations, the country’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced Tuesday.

The woman, whom the FSB only identified as a 33-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Russia who resides in Los Angeles, was arrested in the central Russian town of Yekaterinburg for “providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against” the country.

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

The woman is one of multiple U.S. citizens detained in Russian prisons, as relations between the U.S. and Russia continue to deteriorate. 

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg last year on espionage charges, which the Journal and the U.S. government claim are fabricated. A Moscow court extended Gershkovich’s pretrial detention Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in December that he hopes to “find a solution” to free Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, another American detained over espionage charges. Russia rejected a proposed prisoner exchange for the pair earlier that month, according to the U.S. State Department.

The White House promised a new wave of sweeping sanctions against Russia by Friday, in response to the alleged assassination of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny last week, John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, told reporters Tuesday.