Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian national, has been released from a Russian penal colony where she was serving a 12-year sentence for treason, according to a social media post by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Karelina’s release was part of a prisoner swap arranged by the intelligence agencies of the United States and Russia.
Secretary Rubio confirmed Karelina’s release, stating, “American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release.”
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe also acknowledged President Trump’s role in the release, saying in a statement to the Journal that “President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia” and commended the CIA officers involved.
The prisoner exchange reportedly took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Journal’s report suggests that the high-level communication between Ratcliffe and a senior Russian intelligence official indicates a deepening effort by the Trump administration to improve relations with Moscow.
Karelina’s Russian lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, stated that she departed Abu Dhabi on a flight at approximately 3 a.m. Eastern time.
The Wall Street Journal reported that in exchange for Karelina, the U.S. government released Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian national arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of U.S. authorities. Petrov faced allegations of exporting sensitive microelectronics.
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Karelina was sentenced to 12 years after pleading guilty to treason. Her arrest stemmed from a donation of about $51 to a U.S.-based humanitarian group aiding Ukrainians affected by the war.
Her lawyers argued that she acknowledged transferring the funds but denied intentionally directing them to organizations that might use the money for anti-Russian activities.
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