Ballet dancer Ksenia Karelina, jailed over $50 donation to Ukraine, freed in Russia-U.S. prisoner swap

Russia and the U.S. completed a prisoner exchange in the UAE earlier today, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Moscow released Ksenia Karelia, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen who had been sentenced by a Russian court to 12 years in a high-security penal colony on charges of treason. In return, the U.S. freed Artur Petrov, a dual German-Russian national who had been accused by the American authorities of illegally exporting microelectronics to manufacturers working with the Russian military.

WSJ reports that the exchange was arranged by the intelligence services of both countries. Karelia’s attorney, Mikhail Mushailov, confirmed to the Russian publication RBC that his client had been released. According to the lawyer, Karelina contacted her family from the plane.

U.S. Secretary of State confirmed the news, posting on Twitter that:

“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. POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.”

33-year-old Ksenia Karelina, an amateur ballerina and a resident of Los Angeles, was detained in Yekaterinburg in January 2024 on charges of collecting and transferring funds to the Ukrainian military. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed the money was “used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces.”

Karelina was subsequently charged with state treason for sending $51 to the Razom for Ukraine foundation shortly after Russia unleashed its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Razom for Ukraine is a New York-based charity that provides humanitarian aid and disaster relief to Ukrainians affected by the war. The organization has denied any involvement in providing military support for Kyiv and urged the U.S. government to demand Karelina's release from Russia.

Artur Petrov was arrested in Cyprus in August 2023 at the request of U.S. officials and was extradited a year later. U.S. prosecutors allege that between February 2022 and August 2023, Petrov, along with two other Russian nationals, procured a large shipment of electronics from American companies on behalf of Elektrokon VPK, a St. Petersburg-based firm that was involved in supplying components to Russian defense manufacturers in contravention of Western sanctions. Petrov is accused of deceiving his U.S. suppliers by claiming the electronics were intended for use in fire safety systems in Cyprus or other countries.