A double American citizen who was imprisoned in Russia for treason was released on Thursday in exchange for a Russian man who was imprisoned on smuggling charges in the United States.
Xenia Carrerina, who was also identified in the media as Xenia Cabana, is “on a plane returning to the US,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on social media platform X. American authorities call the incident “absolutely slug dic.”
The Russian Federation Security Agency, the main security and counter-epion agency in Russia, said that Russian double citizen Arthur Petrov, has been released as part of the swap. Petrov was arrested in Cyprus in August 2023 at the request of the US on charges of smuggling sensitive microelectronics into Russia and being extradited to the US a year later.
Karelina was one of many Americans arrested in Russia in recent years as tensions between Moscow and Washington skyrocketed in the war in Ukraine. Her release is the latest in a series of famous prisoner exchanges conducted by Russia and the United States over the past three years, and the second since President Donald Trump took office three months ago, overturning Washington’s policy of isolating Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
File – Ksenia Karelina, also known as the Khavana surname, sat in the cage of the defendant in the courthouse in Yekaterinberg, Russia on Thursday, June 20, 2024 (AP photo, file) Ksenia Karelina. Photo) Ksenia Karelina, also known as Khavana, sat in a glass cage in a courtroom in Yekaterinberg, Russia on Thursday, August 15th, 2024. (Federal Security Services (FSB) of the Russian Federation) Ksenia Karelina and her boyfriend, Chris van Heerden, can be seen in personal photos. (Chris van Hilden) Ksenia Karelina was seen in a photo from her Facebook profile. (Chris van Haden) Ksenia Karelina was seen in a photo from her Facebook profile. (Ksenia Karelina)
Russian and US diplomats will sit on Thursday for another round of talks in Istanbul to improve diplomatic relations.
In February, Russia released American teacher Mark Vogel, who was jailed on drug charges, what the White House described as a diplomatic thaw that could drive peace talks forward. That same month, Russia released another American a few days after he arrested him on drug smuggling charges.
Former ballet dancer Karelina reportedly acquired US citizenship after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles. She was arrested last year when she returned to Russia to visit her family.
The Federal Security Bureau (FSB) accused her of “actively” raising money for the Ukrainian organization that supplies equipment to Kiev’s army. The first division, a Russian rights group, said the charges stem from a $51.80 donation to a US charity supporting Ukraine.
“I am delighted to hear that my love for life, Xenia Karelina is on her way back from illegal detention in Russia,” Karelina’s fiance Chris van Haian said in a statement. “She has endured nightmares for 15 months, but I can’t wait to hold her. Our dog, boots, are eagerly waiting for her home.”
He thanked Trump and Trump administration envoys, as well as prominent public figures who defended her case.
Karelina’s lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, said she was flying to the United States after a prisoner exchange in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
The FSB said in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin had forgiven Karelina before the swap. Petrov, who faced a 20-year sentence in the US, said he was swapped for UAE mediation and Karelina at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
The agency has released a video showing that Karelina was escorted by an airplane somewhere in Russia, featuring what appears to be a swapping scene at Abu Dub airport. In the same video, Petrov was diagnosed with a medical check on a flight to Russia and said he felt normal.
Petrov has been charged by the US Department of Justice to a scheme to procure microelectronics in conjunction with US export controls on behalf of a key electronic component supplier for the US arms industry.
The exchange was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and cited a statement from CIA director John Ratcliffe.
An email asking for comment was sent to the CIA early Thursday.
Abu Dhabi was another famous prisoner exchange scene between Russia and the United States. In December 2022, American basketball star Britney Grinner was traded for the infamous Russian arms dealer Viktor match.
The United Arab Emirates was the mediator of prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine, while the city of Dubai, studded with skyscrapers, has become home to many Russians and Ukrainians who fled there after the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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