Ballerina jailed over gift to Ukraine charity freed in US-Russia prisoner swap

A Russian-American citizen has been released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

Amateur ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a Los Angeles resident, had been in prison in Russia for over a year, after being arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg in early 2024.

She was found guilty of treason for donating money to a US-based charity providing humanitarian support to Ukraine and was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony.

In exchange, the US reportedly freed Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen arrested in Cyprus in 2023. He was accused of illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia for manufacturers working with the Russian military.

The prisoner swap took place in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Thursday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Ms Karelina was "on a plane back home to the United States."

He added she had been "wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year".

"President Trump secured her release. [The President] will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans."

CIA director John Ratcliffe was present at the exchange, the Wall Street Journal said.

It is the second prisoner swap between Russia and the US in less than two months.

In February, Russian national Alexander Vinnik - who was imprisoned in a US jail on money laundering charges - was freed in exchange for the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel.