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American woman who was jailed in Russia at the same time as Brittney Griner speaks out after serving her sentence and returning home without help: ‘The government left me helpless while I was fighting for a WNBA star’
- Sarah Krivanek was jailed in Russia in February for assaulting her ex-boyfriend
- She insisted it was self-defense and submitted photos to prove he hit her.
- Krivanek, an English teacher, was sentenced to 15 months in a penal colony
- She was deported from Russia on December 5 and returned home to the US.
- She says that unlike Griner, she received no help from the State Department.
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An American woman who was imprisoned in Russia at the same time as Brittney Griner is now speaking out after serving her sentence without any help from the US government and returning to the US.
Sarah Krivanek was jailed in Moscow last February on suspicion of attacking her ex-boyfriend with a knife. She insists that he was abusing her and says that he only defended her in her own defense.
She was sentenced to 15 months in a Russian penal colony after a bench trial, and was ultimately deported by the Russian government on December 8, the same day Griner was released.
In an interview with ABC, Krivanek says that while she’s happy for Griner, she’s angry at the US government for letting her languish alone in prison while they endlessly fought for the WBNA star.
Sarah Krivanek was jailed in Moscow last February on suspicion of attacking her ex-boyfriend with a knife. She insists that he was abusing her and says that he only defended her in her own defense.
‘It feels like my citizenship, my patriotism means absolutely nothing.
They might as well have left me there.
‘They completely dismissed the fact that another US citizen was suffering without support.
Krivanek was in an abusive relationship with Mikhail Karavaev. He beat her regularly, according to her friends and the photos she shared of her injuries.
‘I’m angry at our American government for letting me rot there. They said, “someone is coming to see you in the colony.” Nobody ever came.
‘All US citizens should get the same level of service no matter what the situation. Don’t forget about me and don’t forget about the others,’ she raged.
The State Department claims it provided consular support to Krivanek during his ordeal.
The government never classified her as wrongfully convicted, as it did Griner.
Griner was prosecuted for bringing a small amount of marijuana into Russia in a cannabis vaporizer while traveling to the country to compete on a local basketball team.
She was found guilty at trial and sentenced to nine years in prison.
Brittney Griner on her freedom flight home, with the crew that helped her
Brittney Griner is shown landing on American soil after being released on December 8. She received huge support from President Biden and Vice President Harris.
President Biden and Vice President Harris immediately promised to bring her home, and earlier this month traded her for arms dealer Viktor Bout, a man so violent he inspired the movie Lord of War.
The prisoner swap has been widely criticized, with many calling it an unfair exchange that embarrassed the United States and played into Putin’s hands.
Unlike Griner’s case, Krivanek’s received scant media and government attention.
His friends kept the case alive, asking for help on social media. DailyMail.com reported on his jailing in August.
Now she says she’s glad Griner is home.
Krivanek had to rely on Russian authorities to deport her before she was returned to the US.
On November 11, 2021, Sarah cut off her boyfriend’s nose with a knife. The day before, he hit her so hard that he left her with black eyes and broken fingers. He went to the police and drunkenly signed documents to charge her, then backtracked on her and admitted that he was wrong.
Sarah’s friends say they want her home. She had been planning to return to the US after four years in Russia when she was arrested.
“I’m so glad she came out, I wrote her a letter and said, ‘Don’t worry, no one is going to leave you behind.’
‘I was really worried, what is she going to do for nine years? I felt sorry for her.
“Then they traded her, I was really glad she didn’t have to put up with that,” she said.
She was working in Russia as an English teacher when she and her ex-boyfriend got into a fight.
He was left with minimal injuries, including a scratch on his face, but he complained to police about what happened.
Sarah and her friends had described him as an alcoholic who physically abused her.