Ksenia Karelina lands in US after prisoner swap with Russia
CNN
By Ivana Kottasová, Anna Chernova, Kylie Atwood, Zeena Saifi, Jennifer Hansler, Matthew Chance and Kit Maher, CNN
(CNN) — Russian-American woman Ksenia Karelina, who was serving a 12-year prison sentence for treason in Russia, has arrived in the United States after being released as part of a prisoner exchange.
Karelina, who was exchanged for an accused smuggler held in the US, was greeted by a welcoming committee, including her fiancé Chris van Heerden and one of her longtime friends, after stepping off a plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland late on Thursday night.
The amateur ballet dancer had been convicted of treason in Russia after she made a donation of just over $50 to a US-based charity that supported Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said she had been “wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release,” in a post on X earlier on Thursday announcing her release.
The president would “continue to work for the release of ALL Americans,” Rubio added.
Karelina boarded the plane with the US hostage envoy team, a senior Trump administration official told CNN. After a stop in Europe, they continued to Joint Base Andrews.
Karelina was exchanged for Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian-German citizen who was being held in the US on charges of criminal offences related to export control violations, smuggling, wire fraud and money laundering, Russian state news agencies reported Thursday, quoting the FSB, the Russian security agency.
Two US officials familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN that Karelina was swapped for Petrov. The prisoner swap took place in Abu Dhabi on Thursday and was conducted by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, the officials said. One official said that while talks about the prisoner swap were going on for some time, the discussions really took shape last week when one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest advisers, Kirill Dmitriev, visited Washington.
President Donald Trump instructed special envoy Steve Witkoff to speak with Putin about Karelina’s release, a senior Trump administration official told CNN. The conversation was then continued by Ratcliffe.
A Russian source close to the prisoner exchange confirmed to CNN that Dmitriev played an important role in exchange discussions.
Adam Boehler, who works as Trump’s hostage envoy, told CNN he spoke to Karelina on the phone and she was “very happy” and “very appreciative” that the president worked to release her.
News of the exchange came as Russian and US officials were meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss embassy operations. Diplomats from the two countries have met on several occasions since Trump took office in January, as the US president pushed for the war in Ukraine to end. Efforts to secure a ceasefire appear to have stalled in recent weeks, after Russia refused to sign up to a proposal presented by the US and backed by Ukraine.
The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the exchange happened in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The ministry said in a statement that the fact that Russia and the US chose Abu Dhabi as the location for the swap reflected “the close friendship between them and the UAE.”
The ministry said it was hoping “these efforts will contribute to supporting efforts to reduce tensions and promote dialogue and understanding, thus achieving security and stability at the regional and international levels.”
Petrov was charged for criminal offenses related to export control violations, smuggling, wire fraud and money laundering, according to the US Justice Department.
He was arrested in August 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the US and was extradited to the US in August 2024. He was 33 at the time.
According to the Justice Department, Petrov was allegedly smuggling US-made microelectronics to Russia where they were used to manufacture weapons and other equipment for the Russian military.
The US put export controls on many parts that could be used to make weapons after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, an effort to cut Russia off from Western technology.
12 years for $50 charity donation
Karelina’s fiance, Van Heerden, said he was “overjoyed” to hear that she was on her way to the US, calling her “the love of my life.”
“She has endured a nightmare for 15 months and I cannot wait to hold her. Our dog, Boots, is also eagerly awaiting her return,” he said.
Van Heerden went on to thank Trump, his special envoys Witkoff and Boehler, the Ultimate Fighting Championship chief executive Dana White and film director Peter Berg, as well as the nonprofit organization Global Reach and Wasserman Foundation Executive Director Rica Rodman.
According to a source familiar, Van Heerden, a former boxing champion, coaches at Berg’s gym, which is how the film director became involved in the case.
Berg raised the case to White, who then personally shared details of Karelina’s story with Trump in late February, the source familiar said. This made the case personal for the president who then took action to make it a priority, the source said.
Karelina, then 33, was sentenced in August. She was convicted of treason after she made a donation of just over $50 to Razom for Ukraine, a US-based charity supporting Ukraine.
Razom for Ukraine said Thursday it was “overjoyed” to learn that Karelina had been released, saying Russia’s case against her was “a farce from the moment of her detention.”
“We’re incredibly grateful that she is free — but the work will not end until all Americans and Ukrainians held unjustly in Russian captivity are released and Russia’s ambitions to destroy and conquer Ukraine are defeated,” the group said in a statement.
Her trial was held in the same court in Yekaterinburg where Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison last July.
Gershkovich was released in a historic prisoner swap that included former US Marine Paul Whelan, the prominent Putin critic and a permanent US resident Vladimir Kara-Murza, and the Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
They were exchanged for a number of Russia citizens held in several countries, including convicted assassin Vadim Krasikov.
Karelina is a Los Angeles resident and amateur ballerina who became a US citizen in 2021. She entered Russia in January 2024 but the US did not learn of her arrest until February 8, 2024.
According to a website run by her supporters, Karelina traveled to Russia to visit her 90-year-old grandmother, sister, and parents, intending to return to her home in Los Angeles after two weeks.
Karelina’s release marks the second release of an American citizen from Russia since Trump returned to the White House. Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained in Russia for more than three years, was released in February. He was swapped for the accused Russian money launderer Alexander Vinnik.
The Russian source close to the prisoner exchange on Thursday said the “Marc Fogel exchange in February created additional trust and enhanced cooperation in prisoner exchanges with President Trump’s team.”
The US is tracking over half a dozen Americans detained in Russia, the US official said. Among them is Stephen Hubbard who has been officially declared by the US as wrongfully detained. Hubbard, 72, was sentenced to six years and 10 months in Russian prison last year for allegedly fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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