US frees woman from Russian prison who donated $50 to Ukraine
Photo: Ksenia Karelina (Russian Media)
Russia and the United States have carried out another prisoner exchange in Abu Dhabi, signaling the ongoing strengthening of trust between the two countries, The Wall Street Journal reports.
In particular, Russia released Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian dual national, who was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony last year. She was convicted in Russia of treason for donating $50 to a Ukrainian charity organization in the US.
In exchange, the US released Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen, who was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the US for allegedly exporting microelectronics.
Absurd sentence for Karelina
In August 2024, the Russian regime sentenced Ksenia Karelina to 12 years in prison. Prosecutors had demanded 15 years for her. She was accused of treason for a donation to the Razom for Ukraine fund.
Karelina donated $51 to the fund, which raises money to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression.
Ksenia Karelina was born in Russia but immigrated to the US in 2012 through the Work&Study program. She obtained American citizenship in 2021. At the time of her arrest, she was living in Los Angeles.
In January 2024, during a visit to her family in Yekaterinburg, Karelina was detained by the Federal Security Service. Immediately after arriving in Russia, her mobile phone was confiscated, where they found a mention of a donation made in 2022.
