I read the Los Angeles Times story about Ksenia Karelina a few days ago, and I cannot get it out of my head.
Specifically, I keep thinking about this part:
Karelina is a dual U.S.-Russian citizen who arrived in Russia on January 2nd, 2024. Her phone was confiscated upon arrival. She stayed put and cooperated with the Russian authorities.
The authorities combed through her phone and snatched her up at the end of January. She was charged with treason. State media rolled out news of her arrest toward the end of February. She was paraded by the security services in this grim fashion, her face obscured, hostage style:
This was, ostensibly, over a donation to a Ukrainian charity that was only 50 bucks.
Karelina worked in a spa in Los Angeles. The idea that she’s some kind of dastardly international criminal is funny.
Instead, she’s a) a hostage, b) a means of terrorizing other Russians and dual citizens, and c) an opportunity for someone in the FSB to get a promotion.
If you haven’t read my other writing on this subject, I want to make this clear: Putin doesn’t order these bizarre and chilling (but not shocking, not if you’re paying attention) arrests. He doesn’t need to. The Russian FSB is a well-oiled terror mechanism, and the people working within the mechanism know they can get ahead in their careers if they snatch up Americans. Even though the Russian system is treating Karelina as a Russian due to her dual citizenship, acts like these are meant to demoralize the State Department on top of everything else.
What gets me about this story, what I keep coming back to, is that Karelina’s boyfriend, who paid for her trip, understood that it was risky. But, she missed her relatives and he wanted to be nice to her.
It is not my wish to victim-blame Karelina and her loved ones. I think kicking people while they’re down is low.
But I’m pretty damn sure that the public should learn from this situation.
Hugging your relatives is a very basic human need. You think to yourself, “I’m just a random person, what would a Russian government apparatus want with me?” You forget that it’s not about you, it’s about what feeds that particular machine — which is people like you, and their good intentions.
Karelina probably didn’t even remember making a small donation to a worthy cause. I’m sure she didn’t realize she could face twenty years in prison for it. She’s young and pretty and seems fun and normal. The symbolism of what is happening to her is meant to terrorize other normal people, women especially, considering the potential horrors of Russian detention, which I don’t need to spell out.
I know several people who are in a situation similar to Karelina’s boyfriend. They have loved ones who have ties to Russia, these loved ones are insisting that it’s safe to go, and I just think it’s important for people facing this conundrum to understand the risks. When a relative in Russia becomes sick, the stakes are raised even higher. There are no easy answers here, and in speaking to a person who was forced to flee Russia on foot recently, I have reflected on how hard it is to accept the idea that you may not be able to hug a loved one goodbye.
I went through that when my aunt was dying in Kyiv and I, a single parent with a health condition that can make war zones extra tricky to navigate, was stuck having to say goodbye on FaceTime.
This newsletter is meant for regular people, and unfortunately regular people can easily wind up as pawns in fucked-up, sadistic political games. Therefore, if you have choices in life, make them wisely. Avoid the cesspit that is Russia.
I will leave you with Karelina’s correspondence from detention:
These swings between hope and hopelessness are very familiar. The Russian security state will use them to its advantage. Who knows what other Russian-Americans Karelina was in contact with when the authorities took her phone? Who knows what Karelina will be forced to say in order to secure her safety? Or who else might get snatched up in the near future?
I have a longer piece in me about how certain dual citizens with U.S. government jobs regularly go to Russia. This one I will have to think about, as I will need to protect my sources, and as D.C. is one big village, it can get tricky.
Stay tuned and make good choices.