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3w ago

US-Russian Dual Citizen Ksenia Karelina Released in High-Profile Prisoner Swap

Karelina, jailed in Russia for a $50 donation to a Ukraine charity, was exchanged for German-Russian Arthur Petrov in Abu Dhabi after over a year of detention.

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Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina attends a court hearing in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on August 15, 2024.
FILE - Ksenia Karelina, also known as Khavana sits in a glass cage in a court room in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.(AP Photo/File)
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Overview

  • Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian dual citizen and former ballerina, was sentenced to 12 years in Russia for treason tied to a $50 donation to a Ukraine aid charity in 2022.
  • She was released on April 10, 2025, as part of a prisoner exchange negotiated between US and Russian intelligence officials in Abu Dhabi.
  • The US freed Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian national accused of exporting sensitive US microelectronics to Russia for military purposes, in the swap.
  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe credited President Trump for securing Karelina's release, calling her detention wrongful.
  • Russian authorities alleged Karelina's donation supported Ukraine's military, a claim denied by the charity, which insists its funds are used solely for humanitarian aid.