ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -A Russian-American citizen was released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington in the early hours of Thursday, April 10 – she had been in prison in Russia since August 2024 for making a $51 charity donation to Ukraine for humanitarian aid.
According to the BBC news report, Ksenia Karelina, a Los Angeles resident, was arrested in early 2024 during a family visit in Yekaterinburg. Russia’s FSB security service accused her of raising money for a Ukrainian organization providing arms to the Ukrainian military.
Laura Gozzi with BBC News reported Russian human rights activists found Karelina, while living in the U.S., had made a transfer of $51 on the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Despite evidence from the Russian human rights activists the charity Karelina donated to focused on humanitarian aid and disaster relief, Gozzi notes Karelina pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in jail.
According to Gozzi, U.S. President Trump stated the release of Karelina was a request from Dana White, the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. According to Trump, Karalena is “the friend (of) or (has a) relationship (with) one of the fighters.”
Trump stated he and Dana spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Karelina and made a deal, Gozzi said. According to Russian TASS news agency, Putin pardoned Karelina.
BBC’s Gozzi said Karelina arrived in Abu Dhabi early Thursday morning in exchange for the U.S. release of Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian citizen arrested for illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia for manufacturers working with the Russian military in 2023.
According to Gozzi, Karelina’s father said, “we are beside ourselves with happiness,” and both of Karelin’s parents expressed thanks to Trump and Putin.
BBC said this is the second prisoner swap between Russia and the U.S. in less than two months, and the exchange comes as Moscow and Washington try to improve relations that were scaled back following the Ukraine invasion by Russia.
