The United Arab Emirates facilitated the exchange of detainees.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Thursday that U.S. citizen Ksenia Karelina was released from Russian detention after a prisoner swap. The Russian-American citizen was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony last year for donating to a Ukrainian charity.
Secretary Rubio stated, “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. [President Trump] will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.”
Karelina was exchanged for German-Russian citizen Artur Petrov, who was arrested in Cyprus and extradited to the United States in 2023 for illegally trading U.S. microelectronics with Russia. The exchange was facilitated by the United Arab Emirates at the Abu Dhabi airport.
A CIA spokesperson said that “much of the swap was negotiated by the U.S. government, with CIA playing a key role engaging with Russian intelligence.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Rubio as he heads diplomatic efforts in the State Department.
- For President Trump as he seeks the release of American citizens wrongfully detained in other nations.
Sources: ABC News, Fox News
