Overview

• Ksenia Karelina, a dual US-Russian citizen and former ballerina, was sentenced to 12 years in Russia for treason after donating $51 to a pro-Ukraine humanitarian charity.
• Her release was secured on April 10, 2025, through a prisoner swap in Abu Dhabi, where she was exchanged for Arthur Petrov, a Russian-German national accused of smuggling US microelectronics for military use.
• The Trump administration, with key roles played by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, facilitated the negotiation, marking its second US-Russia prisoner exchange this year.
• Karelina’s arrest and conviction were widely criticized as politically motivated, with US officials labeling her detention as wrongful and baseless.
• The exchange coincided with ongoing diplomatic talks in Istanbul aimed at easing tensions and restoring aspects of US-Russia relations, though broader geopolitical issues like the Ukraine conflict were not directly addressed.