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This is the second swap since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen arrested in 2023 at the request of the US for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics, sits in a plane during a prisoner swap for Ksenia Karelina between Russia and the United States, in Abu Dhabi. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
Russia and the United States exchanged prisoners on Thursday, releasing US-Russian ballet dancer and spa worker Ksenia Karelina in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a Russian-German citizen.
“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year,” Rubio wrote on social media platform X, adding that Trump “will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that, in exchange, the United States released Petrov, who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at Washington’s request for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.
Ballet dancer and spa worker Ksenia Karelina, who had been detained in Russia for 12 years on treason charges, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
Karelina’s lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, told news agency AFP that “the exchange took place in Abu Dhabi and, as of a couple of hours ago, she was already flying out of Abu Dhabi.”
Karelina, who was born in 1991 and lived in Los Angeles, was serving a 12-year prison sentence for having donated around $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity.
She was arrested in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg in January 2024 while on a trip to visit her family. She was charged with “treason.”
Russia’s Federal Security Service accused her of collecting funds for Ukraine’s army that were used to purchase “equipment, weapons and ammunition” — charges she denied. Her supporters say she donated to a US-based organisation that delivers humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
A CIA spokeswoman told the paper that “the exchange shows the importance of keeping lines of communication open with Russia, despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship.”
“While we are disappointed that other Americans remain wrongfully detained in Russia, we see this exchange as a positive step and will continue to work for their release,” she said.
Russia has yet to confirm the swap, which would be the second since Trump returned to the White House in January.
Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have since pushed for a restoration of closer ties between the two countries that were severely damaged by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Several meetings between the two sides have taken place, with a new round of talks beginning on Thursday in Istanbul on restoring some of the embassy operations that were scaled back following the Ukraine invasion.
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
