April 10 (UPI) — Ksenia Karelina, a dual citizen of Russia and the United States, was freed from Russian custody Thursday in a prisoner swap.
She was released in a prisoner swap which also saw Arthur Petrov, a citizen of both Russia and Germany and had been charged by the Justice Department with export control violations.
“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted to X Thursday, “She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release.”
The Russian Federal Security Service also confirmed the swap, and in a press release stated that “Karelina was pardoned by presidential decree.”
The United Arab Emirates’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release Thursday that its capital city of Abu Dhabi served as the site for “the successful prisoner exchange between the United States and the Russian Federation,” and that it hopes “that these efforts will contribute to efforts to reduce tensions and promote dialogue and understanding.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported that the exchange was conducted by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who told the paper that “President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia,” and credited “the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort.”
Karelina, who’s from California, was arrested in Russia in January of 2024 for allegedly organizing pro-Ukrainian rallies and posting messages against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
She was convicted of treason after she donated $51 to Razom for Ukraine, a New York-based nonprofit that sends nonmilitary assistance to Ukraine.
