Russia freed ballerina Ksenia Karelina in exchange for suspected spy

Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina, sentenced in 2024 in Russia to 12 years in prison on charges of treason, was released as part of a prisoner swap.

The exchange took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and became possible thanks to an agreement between Moscow and Washington. According to her lawyer Mikhail Mushailov, Karelina has already left Abu Dhabi.

Her return to the U.S. was confirmed Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who emphasized that the release was made possible by President Donald Trump.

In return, Russia received Arthur Petrov — a German-Russian citizen arrested in the U.S. in 2023 for illegally exporting military components in violation of sanctions.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the exchange became possible due to a warming of relations between the two countries.

A similar exchange took place in December 2022, when the U.S. returned Viktor Bout, convicted of arms trafficking, to Russia in exchange for American basketball player Brittney Griner, who had been convicted in Russia on drug charges.