Saturday, 19 April 2025

U.S.-Russian dual national freed in prisoner swap between Washington, Moscow


Russia on Thursday released a U.S.-Russian dual national in exchange for a Russian man jailed on smuggling charges in the U.S.

The dual national, Ksenia Karelinais is “on a plane back home to the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on the social media platform X. "She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. @POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans."

She was arrested in Russian in February 2024 and convicted of treason on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine, according to the Associated Press

The Federal Security Service in Russia accused her of “proactively” getting money for a Ukrainian organization that gives gear to forces in Kyiv. 

In exchange for Karelina, the U.S. freed Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian-German citizen who was arrested at the request of the U.S. for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics to Russia.


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