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On Thursday, Russia facilitated the release of Ksenia Karelina, a dual citizen who had been incarcerated for her contributions to a charity aiding Ukraine. This move came as part of a prisoner exchange for Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian citizen accused of illegally exporting sensitive U.S. electronics for military use in Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Karelina, who had been convicted of treason by a Russian court in 2023 for donating funds to a U.S.-based charity supporting humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, was en route back to the United States. Her attorney also verified her release as part of the swap involving Petrov.
Petrov, arrested in Cyprus at the request of U.S. authorities, is alleged to have been part of a complex operation that supplied sensitive microelectronics to Russian manufacturers connected to military applications. Reports indicate that Petrov orchestrated a sophisticated network to facilitate the smuggling of technology critical to Russia’s military-industrial sector.
Discussions for the prisoner exchange took place in Abu Dhabi, involving CIA Director John Ratcliffe and a senior official from Russian intelligence, as reported by a CIA source cited in the Wall Street Journal. Ratcliffe praised the efforts of CIA personnel in securing Karelina’s release and recognized the role of the United Arab Emirates in making the exchange possible.
Details on the Exchanged Individuals
Karelina departed from Abu Dhabi for the U.S. on Thursday morning, as noted by her Russian lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov. Prior to her detention, she was employed as an aesthetician at a spa in Los Angeles and had traveled to Russia to visit family before her arrest in January 2024.
The Justice Department has accused Petrov of engaging in an elaborate scheme to procure U.S.-sourced microelectronics for Russian manufacturers involved in producing weaponry. The agency detailed how Petrov managed to establish a network of shell companies to facilitate these transactions.
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This development marks the third significant prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia within a year. Notably, U.S. teacher Marc Fogel was released from a Russian penal institution in February, coinciding with a diplomatic visit to Moscow by Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
In the twilight of Joe Biden’s administration, a larger-scale prisoner exchange was conducted, marking the most extensive such occurrence since the Cold War. This exchange included the release of American-Canadian citizen Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and notable Russian journalist and dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza.
On the same day as Karelina’s release, U.S. and Russian officials convened for discussions aimed at reinstating diplomatic operations that have deteriorated amid ongoing tensions, allegations of intimidation, and the freezing of diplomatic properties. These strains have been aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce emphasized on Tuesday that “Ukraine is not, absolutely not on the agenda” for these discussions. She clarified that the focus would be solely on embassy operations and does not involve efforts to normalize bilateral relations, which, she noted, would only be possible once peace is achieved between Russia and Ukraine.
Source
www.cbc.ca