The Russian-American citizen was released in a prisoner exchange between Moscow and Washington.
Amateur ballerina xenia Karelina, a resident of Los Angeles, has been in prison in Russia for more than a year after being arrested in Yekaterinburg city in early 2024.
She was found guilty of treason for donating money to a US-based charity that provides humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
In exchange, the US reportedly released Arthur Petrov, a double citizen of German Russia who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023. He was accused of illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia for a manufacturer that works with the Russian military.
The prisoner exchange took place in Abu Dhabi early on Thursday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Ms. Carrerina was “on a plane returning to the United States.”
He added that she was “injured by mistake in Russia for over a year.”
“President Trump has secured her release. [The President] We will continue to work for the release of all Americans. ”
According to the Wall Street Journal, CIA director John Ratcliffe said he was in the exchange.
This is the second prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States within two months.
In February, Russian citizen Alexander Vinnik – who was imprisoned in US prison for money laundering charges – was released in exchange for the release of American school teacher Mark Vogel.
