A ballerina jailed by Vladimir Putin for making a donation to a Ukrainian charity has been freed as part of a prisoner swap between the US and Russia, officials have confirmed.
Ksenia Karelina, 34, was arrested in February 2024 in Yekaterinburg and later sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of treason. The charges stemmed from a $51.80 (£40) donation she made in 2022 to the US-based charity Razom for Ukraine, which provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Karelina, an amateur ballerina and spa worker who moved to the States in 2012 and became a citizen in 2021, was visiting family in Russia when she was detained. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed the donation had been used to support the Ukrainian military and alleged that Karelina had “proactively collected” the funds in support of a foreign organisation.
Razom has denied any involvement in military assistance, stating its work is strictly humanitarian. Karelina pleaded guilty to the charges during a closed trial in August 2024.
Today, her lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, confirmed that she had been released and flown to the States from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, as part of a prisoner exchange. The US government has not disclosed whom it released in return.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Karelina as “wrongfully detained” and credited Donald Trump with securing her release. “President Trump secured her release and will continue to work for the release of all Americans held abroad,” Rubio said in a statement.
Karelina’s case drew criticism from human rights groups and US officials, who accused the Kremlin of targeting dual nationals and politicizing humanitarian actions. The Russian rights group The First Department, which monitored the case, said she was imprisoned solely for making a personal donation and had no connection to political or military organizations.
The FSB’s claims that the funds were used for military equipment have not been substantiated. Razom for Ukraine stated that its donations go toward medical supplies, evacuation support, and civilian aid, not weapons or ammunition.
Karelina’s imprisonment was widely viewed in the West as part of a broader Russian strategy of using foreign nationals for political leverage amid ongoing tensions with the US over the war in Ukraine. Her release follows several other high-profile detainee swaps between Washington and Moscow in recent years. Karelina is now expected to reunite with her family in Los Angeles, where she had been living prior to her arrest.
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