In prisoner swap with US, Russia frees ballerina jailed for donating money to Ukrainian charity

Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian dual national who was found guilty in Russia for donating a small sum to a US-based Ukrainian charity and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, was freed on Thursday as part of a rare prisoner swap between the US and Russia, signaling a potential warming of relations between the two countries.

According to a Politico report, Karelina had been sentenced earlier this year after being found guilty of what Russian authorities called “treasonous support” of Ukraine.

A former ballet dancer, Karelina became a US citizen in 2021 after marrying an American and relocating to Los Angeles.

In return, the United States released Artur Petrov, a German-Russian dual national who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of US authorities. He faced charges related to the alleged illegal export of sensitive American microelectronics, added the report.

“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,” Politico quoted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying Thursday, adding Trump “will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.”

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the exchange, said it took place at Abu Dhabi airport and was arranged through a deal brokered by intelligence agencies.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe and a senior Russian intelligence official led negotiations for the swap, reported the journal, citing information from a CIA official.

Russia’s Federal Security Service confirmed the exchange later on Thursday.

This marks the second prisoner swap between the US and Russia since President Trump took office earlier this year.

In February, the Biden administration secured the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel — detained in Russia on drug charges — in exchange for Russian entrepreneur Alexander Vinnik.

With inputs from agencies