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The United States says a Russian-American citizen serving a 12-year prison sentence in Russia says that she had been released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.
Ksenia Karelina was found guilty last year of treason by a Russian court for donating money to a United States-based charity providing humanitarian support to Ukraine.
On Thursday, US secretary of state Marco Rubio posted on X that Karelina was on a plane headed back to the United States.
“She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President [Donald] Trump secured her release,” Rubio wrote.
“[Trump] will continue to work for the release of all Americans.”
Karelina’s Russian lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, also told the Reuters news agency that she had left for the US on a plane from Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
CIA, Russian intelligence conducted talks in Abu Dhabi
The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that Karelina was released as part of a US-Russia prisoner exchange.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director John Ratcliffe and a senior Russian intelligence official conducted talks for the swap in Abu Dhabi, according to a CIA official quoted by the Journal.
“Today, President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia,” Ratcliffe said in a statement to the Journal.
“I’m proud of the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort, and we appreciate the Government of UAE for enabling the exchange.”
Karelina was swapped for Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen, who was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the US for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.
The US Justice Department said last year that Petrov had participated in a scheme to procure US-sourced microelectronics for manufacturers supplying weaponry and other equipment to the Russian military.
Who is Ksenia Karelina?
Karelina was born in Russia and emigrated to the United States in 2012 via a work-study program, receiving American citizenship in 2021.
In February 2022, Karelina transferred US$51.80 (around $84) to the New York-based charity Razom for Ukraine, which provides humanitarian aid to children and elderly people in Ukraine.
The dual citizen was arrested in early 2024 when she returned to Russia using her US passport. And in August last year, a Russian court sentenced Karelina to 12 years in prison after finding her guilty of treason.
Her case was heard in a closed trial by the same court that in July last year. Gershkovich was released in August as part of a prisoner swap.
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