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Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Russian prosecutors Thursday were seeking a 15-year prison sentence for Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina following her guilty plea to treason charges. She was charged after donating roughly $50 to Razom, a charity that supports Ukraine. Russian prosecutors alleged she was collecting money for tactical supplies for Ukraine's army.
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Karelina is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 15.
Her attorney, Mikhail Mushailov, said 15 years in prison is too severe.
"There are a lot of circumstances that the court must take into account as mitigating factors," Mushailov was quoted in the state-run TASS news agency. "For example, the fact that she voluntarily handed in her mobile device while she could have also obstructed the investigation, She voluntarily submitted all documents confirming her involvement in committing this or that criminal act."
He also said Karelina hopes to be released in a prisoner swap at some point after the sentence is imposed.
Karelina was arrested in February in Yekaterinburg following a family visit. It's the same city where Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested on espionage charges last March.
Gershkovich was freed in an Aug. 1 prisoner swap involving multiple prisoners in multiple countries.
Razom said in a statement in February, "Razom is appalled by reports that a U.S.-Russian dual national has been arrested by Russian authorities for purportedly making a charitable donation to Razom for Ukraine in the immediate aftermath of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine."
