LA woman held in Russian prison, accused of treason for allegedly raising money for Ukraine

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - A Los Angeles woman is being held in a Russian jail for alleged treason, and her co-workers and family are very worried about her. Thirty-three-year-old Ksenia Khavana is from LA. She works at the Ciel Spa in the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. She is a ballerina, a dual citizen of Russia and the U.S. in a situation that has her friends and loved ones very worried.

Eleonora Srebroski is Khavana's ex-mother-in-law. She lives in Maryland. She's said she's terrified. 

"If we do not help her, nobody else will," Srebroski said. She speaks lovingly of Khavana, saying, "She's so gentle. She's so sweet... always positive."

A video released in Russia showed Khavana being marched into a courtroom handcuffed, her eyes covered, is part of what's terrifying Srebroski. Khavana is facing charges of treason for making a $50 donation to Ukraine. But in a statement, the Russian Federal Security Service is accusing the 33-year-old of raising money, medicine, equipment and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces.

"I am very worried about her physical being," Srebroski said. "I know there is a lot of physical abuse in Russian jails and mental abuse too, so I am concerned, and my heart is breaking for her."

Credit: Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) via Storyful

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Retired Marine Intelligence officer and National Security expert Hal Kempfer says the State Department is going to have to step in.

"We have seen Putin time and again incarcerating Americans. But, there's going to be a lot of diplomatic back-and-forth, and we're going to find out what the Russians want in exchange for her, and unfortunately my guess is that she will probably be in custody for quite some time," Kempfer said. 

That's what Khavana's ex-mother-in-law is so worried about. It's why she agreed to our interview.

"I know that we have to create some noise," Srebroski said. "We need to give some attention to this cause and we need to get her out of the jail."

And, despite the divorce in the family, Srebroski sends this message to Khavana: "I love you and all our family love you."

Ksenia Khavana

In a statement to FOX 11, Ciel Spa in the SLS Hotel said that the "management and team is devastated to hear" of Khavana's detention, calling her "wrongly accused."

"Ksenia, a dual citizen, went to Russia to visit her 90-year-old grandmother, parents and younger sister," the statement read. "She has been accused of treason for allegedly donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity in the US. To know Ksenia is to love her and this heartbreaking news is so difficult to share, but it must be done to spread her story and seek justice. Please help us spread the word and bring Ksenia home."