On Thursday in Abu Dhabi, Russia and the USA conducted a prisoner exchange "as a sign of ongoing trust-building, as both sides strive to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine," writes The Wall Street Journal.
Russia released Ksenia Karelina, a citizen of the USA and Russia, who was sentenced last year to 12 years in a colony on charges of "treason." The criminal prosecution was prompted by a $51.8 donation to the Ukrainian fund Razom for Ukraine, which she made from her American account. When Karelina flew to visit relatives in Yekaterinburg, law enforcement detained her on an administrative charge of "hooliganism," searched her phone, and found information about this transfer.
In exchange, the USA released Artur Petrov, a citizen of Russia and Germany, who was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the USA for the alleged export of secret microelectronics. Petrov used a Cypriot company to purchase a small amount of controlled microelectronics and integrated circuits from American companies under the guise of using them for fire safety systems and other commercial applications, then shipped them to Russia for military supplies.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe was present at the Abu Dhabi airport where the exchange took place. "Today, President Trump brought home another unjustly detained American from Russia," said Ratcliffe's statement in WSJ. "I am proud of the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support these efforts, and we are grateful to the UAE government for enabling the exchange."
This is the second exchange of detainees between Russia and the USA since Trump took office in January. Russia released American teacher Mark Fogel in February during a visit by US envoy Steve Witkoff. The USA then released Russian Alexander Vinnik, accused of money laundering.
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service reported last month that Ratcliffe and Naryshkin agreed during a phone conversation to maintain regular contacts to reduce conflict levels between Moscow and Washington and discussed "areas of mutual interest."
Karelina is one of several detained Americans and Russian and American citizens with dual citizenship, whose cases American officials have discussed with Russian colleagues, according to WSJ sources.
In October, the Moscow City Court sentenced American citizen Steven Hubbard to six years and 10 months in a general regime colony on charges of serving as a mercenary in Ukraine, stating that he earned $1,000 a month as part of the Ukrainian territorial defense battalion in 2022. In January, the Biden administration recognized Hubbard as unlawfully detained.
Photo: Reuters