Friday 5 August 2022 09:04 PM The OTHER American woman jailed in Russia who you've never heard of trends now
While Brittney Griner's Russian incarceration dominates headlines, another American woman is sitting behind bars in the same jail waiting for the world to take the same - or at least some - interest in her case.
Sarah Krivanek, also known as Sarah Rae Burns and Sarah Duncan, is a 46-year-old teacher and mother from Colorado who has been behind bars in Moscow since last year, when she was arrested for assaulting her abusive, drunk Russian boyfriend Mikhail Karavaev.
He had beaten her up in a drunken rage and she retaliated by cutting him in the nose. Russian media states that she tried to slice it off, but she insists it was nothing more than a scratch.
The boyfriend has tried to retract his police claim but Sarah remains incarcerated. Her friends are now pleading for the White House to take notice in her case, which remains unresolved.
Griner was yesterday sentenced to nine years behind bars for smuggling a cannabis pen into the country. She was detained at Moscow airport shortly after arriving on a flight from the US. The 31-year-old WNBA star knows Russia well, having played multiple off-seasons there.
Sarah Krivanek, also known as Sarah Rae Burns and Sarah Duncan, is a 46-year-old teacher and mother from Colorado who has been behind bars in Moscow since last year
Sarah's arrest came as the result of a bust-up with her alcoholic boyfriend Mikhail Karavev (shown)
Sarah, 46, had been living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but is a California native. She moved to Russia in 2017 after divorcing her military husband and she began teaching English to Russian children.
She and her boyfriend Mikhail Karavaev had a troubled and abusive relationship. Friends of hers told NewsNation's Banfield that she told them how he would regularly beat her up.
Krivanek was somewhat of an open book on social media, posting medical reports which detailed the injuries he allegedly gave her, and talking often about domestic violence.
In November, the pair's violent relationship took its worst turn. A day after he broke her fingers, she took a knife to his nose, scratching it but not doing permanent damage.
He called the police and she was arrested then released on bail, ordered to return to court at a later date.
Krivanek's friends say she sought advice from the US Embassy in Moscow and was instructed to leave as soon as possible.
On November 11, 2021, Sarah sliced her boyfriend's nose with a knife. The previous day, he beat her so badly that she was left with black eyes and broken fingers. He went to the police and drunkenly signed papers to charge her, then retracted it, admitting he was in the wrong
