Ksenia Karelina, Russian-American ballerina jailed for charity donation, released in prisoner swap
U.S.-Russian national released in prisoner swap
A U.S.-Russian dual national imprisoned in Russia on treason charges was freed Thursday in a prisoner exchange with Washington, the woman’s lawyer and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Ksenia Karelina, also identified in the media as Ksenia Khavana, is "on a plane back home to the United States," Rubio said in a post on X. She was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and convicted of treason later that year on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine.
WASHINGTON - Ksenia Karelina, a U.S.-Russian ballerina who was imprisoned in Russia on treason charges, was freed on Thursday in a prisoner exchange, authorities said.
Karelina was on a plane back home to the United States, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on X.
Here’s what to know:
Ksenia Karelina released in prisoner swap
What we know:
Karelina, who holds dual citizenship for both Russia and the United States and resides in Los Angeles, was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and convicted of treason later that year on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine.
She was initially detained for "petty hooliganism" while visiting family in Russia, but the charge was later upgraded to treason after accusations that she was acting as an American spy.
Ksenia Karelina, a dual American-Russian citizen and resident of Los Angeles, California, is pictured in a file image while being held in Yekaterinburg on suspicion of treason.
Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian penal colony after pleading guilty to treason for donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity in early 2024. Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, accused her of "proactively" collecting money for a Ukrainian organization that was supplying gear to Kyiv's forces.
Russian authorities arrest woman with dual US citizenship for treason
Russia's main domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service, reported a young woman with dual U.S. citizenship had been arrested on charges of treason. Credit: Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) via Storyful
Moscow released Karelina in exchange for German-Russian citizen Arthur Petrov, who was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the U.S. on charges of exporting sensitive microelectronics, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The backstory:
Petrov was extradited to the U.S. in August 2024 where he faced charges of export control violations, smuggling, wire fraud and money laundering. He was accused of involvement in a scheme to procure U.S.-sourced microelectronics subject to U.S. export controls on behalf of a Russia-based supplier of critical electronics components for manufacturers supplying weaponry and other equipment to the Russian military.
Big picture view:
Karelina was among a growing number of Americans arrested in Russia in recent years as tensions between Moscow and Washington spiked over the war in Ukraine. Her release is the latest in a series of high-profile prisoner exchanges Russia and the United States carried out in the last three years. The U.S. authorities have called the case against her "absolutely ludicrous."
The Source: This story was reported using information shared by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on X on April 10, 2025, as well as information reported by the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal. It was reported from Cincinnati, and the AP and FOX News contributed.