Woman jailed in Russia over Ukraine charity donation freed in US prisoner swap | BBC News

A Russian-American citizen who was arrested for donating £39 to a US-based charity providing humanitarian support to Ukraine has been released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

Amateur ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a Los Angeles resident, had been in prison in Russia for over a year after being found guilty for treason in Yekaterinburg and sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony.

Karelina was reportedly exchanged in Abu Dhabi for dual German-Russian citizen Arthur Petrov, who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 and accused of illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia for manufacturers working with the Russian military.

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#US #Russia #BBCNews

Post from BBC News on April 10, 2025