Russian American citizens were released due to the exchange of prisoners between Moscow and Washington.
Ballerina KSENIA KARELINA, a resident of Los Angeles, was trapped in Russia for more than a year after he was arrested during a family visit in YEKARINBURG in early 2024.
She was accused of raising money for Ukrainian organizations, which provided weapons to Ukrainian troops by Russia’s FSB security service. She was convicted in August and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Russian human rights activists said they relocated $ 51 (£ 39) once on the first day of Ukraine in Russia on February 22, 2022.
The charity in question focused on humanitarian aid and disaster relief and refused to collect money for weapons and ammunition.
FSB is thought to have found a deal on the phone.
In return, the United States liberated Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian citizen arrested in Cyprus in 2023. He was accused of illegally exporting micro -electrons to Russia for manufacturers working with Russian troops.
Russia’s Tass News Agency says President Vladimir Putin forgive Mrs. Karelina.
Prisoner swaps happened in Abu Dabi early Thursday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Mr. Karelina was “on a plane back to the United States.”
He added that she was “misappropriated by Russia for more than a year.”
“President Trump has secured her release. (President) will continue to work for all Americans.”
The Wall Street Journal said John Ratcliffe attended the exchange.
Karelina’s parents thanked Trump and Putin.
Her father, Pavel, told the Wall Street Journal, “I think both of them have participated.” “We have happiness.
“The first round of our chat was all pure emotions, and we couldn’t even remember what we were talking about. It was like an explosion of happiness.”
It is the second prisoner swap between Russia and the United States within two months.
In February, Alexander Vinnik, Russia National Alexander Vinnik -A person who was imprisoned in the US prison for alleged laundering of funds- It was liberated by exchanging with the release Marc Fogel of American School Teachers.
This exchange comes when Moscow and Washington tries to improve their relationship.
The US and Russian officials met in Istanbul on Thursday and held another meeting to restore some of the scaled embassy operations after the Ukrainian invasion.
