Ksenia Karelina freed in prisoner swap: Life was going fine for Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American ballerina, model and spa worker, till she landed in Russia to visit family last year. She was sentenced to 12 years and sent to a Russian jail after 'pleading guilty' to treason. Her crime? Donating around $52 for a charity that was helping the Ukrainians fighting the Russian invasion of their country. On Thursday night (Apr 10) she landed back in the US as part of a prisoner swap deal, ending her year-long ordeal.

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The prisoner exchange was mediated by the United Arab Emirates and took place in Abu Dhabi, where she was exchanged for German-Russian Arthur Petrov.

Karelina arrived in Los Angeles, where she has family, on Thursday night. She was hugged and greeted by family upon her return.

"Today, the United States welcomes the return of American-Russian ballerina Ksenia Karelina who was sentenced by a Russian court to a penal colony for 12 years after authorities discovered she had donated to a Ukrainian charity,"  National Security Advisor Mike Waltz shared on X.

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"President Trump and his administration continue to work around the clock to ensure Americans detained abroad are returned home to their families," he added.

The curious case of Ksenia Karelina: Who is she, what happened to her?

The US had called the case against Karelina "absolutely ludicrous."

Ksenia Karelina is a 32-year-old who had emigrated to the US in 2012 and became a naturalised citizen in 2021.

The Los Angeles based woman was visiting her family in Russia when she was held for "petty hooliganism".  

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That led to a cascading of events: Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) accused her of being a US spy. According to FSB, she was 'collecting funds' for a group that was supplying material support to Ukrainian forces. Charged with treason and sentenced to 12 years, Karelina was sent to a Russian penal colony.

The donation that cost Karelina dearly

On 20 February 2024, Ksenia Karelina was arrested for 'raising funds for the Ukrainian Army.'

She had sent $51.80 to a non-profit organisation Razom, based in New York, in a single money transfer.

Ranzom has been sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The transfer was made by Karelina on February 24, 2022, the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The FSB claimed that the money was being used for buying arms for the Ukrainian forces, a claim rejected by Ranzom.

 

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According to Karelina's boyfriend Chris Van Heerden, she had no idea she was in danger before travelling to Russia. 

The trial of Ksenia Karelina

Arested from Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains, in February 2024, Karelina was put to trial on 20 June 2024 and pleaded guilty in August.

Videos at the time showed her being blindfolded, handcuffed and being taken to courts.

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The courts of Sverdlovsk and Yekaterinburg sentenced her to 12 years in prison.

Interestingly, Judge Andrei Mineev who ruled against Karelina, had also sentenced American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

How did Ksenia Karelina escape from Russia?

Karelina was released by Russia as part of a prisoner deal in exchange for German-Russian citizen Arthur Petrov.

Petrov was held in Cyprus in 2023  at the request of the US over alleged export of sensitive microelectronics. He was then extradited to the US in 2024.

Charges against him included export control violations, smuggling, wire fraud and money laundering.