Russian-American woman Ksenia Karelina, who was serving a 12-year prison sentence for treason in Russia, was released as part of a prisoner exchange that saw her swapped for an accused smuggler held in the US.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X early on Thursday that Karelina had been released and was on her way to the United States.
“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release,” Rubio said on X.
He added the president would “continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.”
Karelina was exchanged for Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian-German citizen who was being held in the US on charges of criminal offences related to export control violations, smuggling, wire fraud and money laundering, Russian state news agencies reported Thursday, quoting the FSB, the Russian security agency.
The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the exchange happened in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The ministry said in a statement that the fact that Russia and the US chose Abu Dhabi as the location for the swap reflected “the close friendship between them and the UAE.”
The ministry said it was hoping “these efforts will contribute to supporting efforts to reduce tensions and promote dialogue and understanding, thus achieving security and stability at the regional and international levels.”
Petrov was charged for criminal offenses related to export control violations, smuggling, wire fraud and money laundering, according to the US Justice Department.
He was arrested in August 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the US and was extradited to the US in August 2024. He was 33 at the time.
According to the Justice Department, Petrov was allegedly smuggling US-made microelectronics to Russia where they were used to manufacture weapons and other equipment for the Russian military.
The US put export controls on many parts that could be used to make weapons after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, an effort to cut Russia off from Western technology.
The exchange happened as Russian and US officials were meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss embassy operations.
12 years for $50 charity donation
Karelina, then 33, was sentenced in August. She was convicted of treason after she made a donation of just over $50 to a US-based charity supporting Ukraine.
Her trial was held in the same court in Yekaterinburg where Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison last July.
Gershkovich was released in a historic prisoner swap that included former US Marine Paul Whelan, the prominent Putin critic and a permanent US resident Vladimir Kara-Murza, and the Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
They were exchanged for a number of Russia citizens held in several countries, including convicted assassin Vadim Krasikov.
Karelina is a Los Angeles resident and amateur ballerina who became a US citizen in 2021. She entered Russia in January 2024 but the US did not learn of her arrest until February 8, 2024.
According to a website run by her supporters, Karelina traveled to Russia to visit her 90-year-old grandmother, sister, and parents, intending to return to her home in Los Angeles after two weeks.
Karelina’s release marks the second release of an American citizen from Russia since Trump returned to the White House. Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained in Russia for more than three years, was released in February. He was swapped for the accused Russian money launderer Alexander Vinnik.
The US is tracking over half a dozen Americans detained in Russia, the US official said. Among them is Stephen Hubbard who has been officially declared by the US as wrongfully detained. Hubbard, 72, was sentenced to six years and 10 months in Russian prison last year for allegedly fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
