London – The double American-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina was released from Russian prison in an exchange of one-night prisoners, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday.
The exchange took place during the night in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Karelina’s lawyer Mikhail Mushaillov, confirmed to ABC News that she had been released.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio confirmed the exchange in a tweet, writing: “American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane at his home in the United States. She was wrongly detained by Russia for more than a year and President Trump obtained his release”.
An American official told ABC News that American and Russian intelligence agencies had taken the lead in the negotiation of the prisoner exchange.
The double Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina, accused of betrayal for having made a donation to a charity supporting Ukraine, attended a court hearing in Yekaterinburg, Russia, August 15, 2024.
Dmitry Chasovitin / Reuters
CIA director John Ratcliffe said in a statement: “Today, President Trump brought back to the house, another American -detained from Russia. I am proud of the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort and we appreciate the government of water for allowing the exchange.”
A CIA spokesperson told ABC News that a large part of the exchange had been negotiated by the US government, the CIA playing a key engaging role with Russian information. “
“Thanks to these commitments, the CIA negotiated with Russia and worked closely with national and foreign partners, including water, to carry out the exchange,” said the spokesperson. “We have also collaborated in close collaboration with the counterparts of the agencies of the [U.S. government] To facilitate this exchange. “”
The Federal Security Service of Russia also confirmed the release of Karelina, saying that it had been pardoned via a decree by President Vladimir Putin. The FSB said that the exchange had been made at Abu Dhabi airport with water mediation.
The German -Russian citizen Artur Petrov – who was detained in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of the United States and extradited later – was exchanged for Karelina, the service said.
An opinion of the Ministry of Justice of his arrest said that Petrov had been accused of participation in a program aimed at obtaining microelectronics of American origin subject to export controls on behalf of a Russian supplier. The components were intended for manufacturers providing weapons and other equipment to the Russian army, the opinion said.
A declaration in 2024 linked to Petrov’s extradition with the United States said it was part of a network that secretly provided the Russian military industrial complex with “critical American technology, including the same types of microelectronics delivered from Russian weapons on the Ukrainian battlefields”.
Karelina – A ballet dancer – was serving a 12 -year prison sentence in a criminal colony, having been found guilty of betrayal in August 2024. She was accused of having organized fundraising for Ukraine soldiers, assisting pro -Ukraine rallies and published messages on social media against the Russian war in Ukraine.
His boyfriend, Chris Van Heerden, spoke to ABC News live for hours after her conviction, saying that she had done nothing wrong. He said everything she had done was to donate $ 50 to a Ukrainian charitable organization.
It is a story in development. Please check the updates.
Joe Simonetti, ABC News, Cindy Smith, Tanya Stukalova and Shannon K. Kingston contributed to this report.
