US and Russia exchange prisoners: woman who donated to Ukraine among those released
Russia and the United States exchanged prisoners in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, on Thursday 10 April.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Russia has released Ksenia Karelina, a US and Russian citizen who was sentenced to 12 years in prison last year for high treason for donating less than US$100 to a charity supporting Ukraine.
In response, the United States freed Arthur Petrov, a German and Russian citizen who had been arrested in Cyprus at the request of the United States on suspicion of illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia.
A Central Intelligence Agency spokesperson said that CIA Director John Radcliffe and a Russian intelligence official negotiated the swap. Radcliffe was present at the Abu Dhabi airport during the exchange and met Karelina.
"Today, President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia," Ratcliffe said.
The US side suspects Petrov, using a company in Cyprus, purchased electronics under the guise of commercial use and sent them to St Petersburg to a company working for the Russian military.
Karelina lived in Los Angeles and worked as a beautician at a spa in Beverly Hills. She was detained in Yekaterinburg, Russia, after arriving to visit her family in late 2023.
The US has stressed that this exchange is a positive step, although many Americans remain behind bars in Russia.
This is the second exchange between Russia and the United States since Donald Trump took office in January. In February, Russia released American teacher Marc Fogel during a visit by US Special Representative Steve Witkoff.
At the time, Trump welcomed the release of the American and expressed hope that the move would allow the two countries to work towards ending the war in Ukraine.