Photo: Alamy
Dual-citizen ballerina Ksenia Karelina is on her way back to the U.S. on Thursday after being held in Russia for more than a year.
The Trump administration secured Karelina’s release in a prison exchange for German-Russian Arthur Petrov, who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023.
“Today, President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia,” CIA director John Ratcliffe said. “I’m proud of the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort, and we appreciate the Government of U.A.E. for enabling the exchange.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also addressed the woman’s release in a post to X.
“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. @POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans,” he wrote early Thursday.
Karelina received a 12-year sentence in a Russian penal colony after admitting guilt to treason for making a $51.80 donation to a Ukrainian charity in early 2024.
She was originally arrested in February 2024 during a visit to her family in Russia, facing a minor charge of “petty hooliganism.” However, the charge was later escalated to treason, with Russian officials accusing her of being an American spy. Authorities alleged that Karelina, a Los Angeles resident, had supported the Ukrainian military and participated in pro-Ukraine activities while living in the United States.
Her release marks the latest case of an American citizen imprisoned abroad being returned to the U.S. during Donald Trump’s presidency. Earlier in February, Trump also secured the return of Marc Fogel, an American history teacher who had been held in Russia since 2021.
The release of Fogel was described as the result of a negotiation by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia,” National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said in February.
“President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the President’s advisors negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine,” he added.