Moscow releases ballerina Ksenia Karelina in prisoner exchange with the U.S.

On Thursday, Russia released former Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in Moscow for "treason" after being charged with allegedly raising funds for the Ukrainian army.

The former ballerina was released in a prisoner swap in Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates, her Russian lawyer Mikhail Mushailov told AFP.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Russia obtained in return the release of Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian arrested in 2023 and charged by the U.S. judiciary with illegally exporting electronic components for military use to Moscow in violation of sanctions targeting the Kremlin.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was the first to confirm the news of Ksenia Karelina's release via his social media.

"American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was unjustly detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. He will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans," Rubio wrote in an X post.

The U.S. diplomacy chief did not add further details about the case.

Ksenia Khavana, identified by Russian authorities by her maiden name (Karelina), was convicted on charges related to a $52 donation to a U.S. charity.

The Russian Federal Security Service stated that she "proactively raised money in the interests of one of the Ukrainian organizations, which was subsequently used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian Armed Forces."

Karelina, a former ballet dancer, obtained U.S. citizenship after marrying her husband and moving to Los Angeles. She was arrested in February 2024 in Yekaterinburg after returning to Russia to visit her family and pleaded guilty to the charges in a closed trial, according to Russian state media.

Karelina's conviction followed a prisoner swap between Moscow, Washington and other Western allies, the largest since the Cold War, which included U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, convicted of espionage in March 2023.