Moscow has published an American-Russian national double, Ksenia Karelina, who had been detained in Russia, in an exchange of prisoners in Abu Dhabi.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X: “The American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane at his home in the United States. She was wrongly detained by Russia for more than a year and President Trump obtained his release.”
He added that Trump “would continue to work for the release of all Americans.”
Karelina, a beautician and former ballet dancer who lives in Los Angeles, was also identified in Russian media relationships like Ksenia Khavana.
She was arrested in Ekaterinburg in February of last year and sentenced in August to 12 years in prison for condemnation for betrayal for having allegedly collected funds for the Ukrainian army.
A rights defending group said the accusations arise from a donation of $ 51 (£ 40) to Razom, an American charitable organization that sends non -lethal aid to Ukraine.
In exchange for Karelina, the United States would have released Arthur Petrov, a double German-Russian citizen, who was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the United States. Petrov had been accused of exporting microelectronics sensitive to Russia.
The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the exchange, said that the agreement had been negotiated by CIA director John Ratcliffe, and a senior unidentified Russian intelligence official.
“Today, President Trump has brought another American to the house wrongly from Russia,” the WSJ told Ratcliffe. “I am proud of the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort, and we appreciate the government of water for allowing the exchange.”
Ratcliffe spoke to the head of the Federal State Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, and the director of Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergei Jarkikin, in recent months.
“Petrov was exchanged for American citizen Ksenia Karelina, who also holds Russian citizenship and was sentenced to 12 years in a criminal colony for betrayal in the form of financial aid to a foreign state,” the FSB said in a statement.
“We express our gratitude to the leaders of the water for their help.” »»
Karelina’s lawyer Mikhail Mushaillov, said on Instagram that she was flying to the United States from Abu Dhabi, where the exchange had taken place.
Abu Dhabi was the scene of a previous exchange of high-level prisoners between Russia and the United States in December 2022, when the American basketball star Brittney Griner was exchanged for the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
The United Arab Emirates were a mediator in prisoners’ exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, while Dubai is home to many Russians and Ukrainians who have fled there since the start of the Moscow large -scale invasion in February 2022.
Agencies contributed to this report
