Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American ballerina and spa worker from Los Angeles, has been released from a Russian prison more than a year after being arrested on charges of high treason for donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity. She is now en route back to the United States, U.S. officials confirmed Thursday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the release on X, formerly Twitter, writing that Karelina,
“is on a plane back home to the United States” after being “wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year.”
Rubio credited President Donald Trump with brokering the deal that led to her freedom.
Ksenia Karelina Sentenced to 12 Years in Russia Over $51 Ukraine Donation
Karelina, 33, was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in January 2024 while visiting her family in Yekaterinburg, a city in Russia’s Ural Mountains. The arrest came nearly two years after she made a small online donation—just over $50—from her U.S. bank account on February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At the time, the FSB alleged the donation had supported Ukrainian armed forces and was later used to purchase tactical gear and medical equipment. Russian authorities classified the act as treason. In August 2024, Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony after a closed-door trial. She pleaded guilty, according to Russian court statements.
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Ksenia Karelina’s Ordeal Sparked Global Outrage and a Call for Justice
The case drew widespread criticism from human rights groups and U.S. officials, who called the sentence extreme and politically motivated.
“This was never about justice,” said a spokesperson for Human Rights Watch. “It was about sending a message to Russians abroad and cracking down on even symbolic support for Ukraine.”
Karelina had moved to the U.S. in 2012, later becoming a citizen in 2021. She had previously trained as a ballerina and was working as an aesthetician at a Los Angeles spa when she returned to Russia to visit her parents and younger sister.
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Prisoner Swap Confirmed by Russian and U.S. Authorities
Her release was reportedly secured as part of a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia. In exchange, Russia received Arthur Petrov, a dual Russian-German citizen who had been arrested in Cyprus at the request of the U.S. for allegedly smuggling sensitive microelectronics.
Russia’s FSB confirmed the exchange Thursday, hours after Karelina’s lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, posted on Instagram that she had “taken off from Abu Dhabi to the U.S.” and had spoken to her family.
Karelina’s boyfriend, South African boxer Chris van Heerden, posted a celebratory storie on Instagram with the words “She’s coming home.”
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Other Americans Remain Behind Bars
Her release follows that of Marc Fogel, another American detained in Russia, who was freed in February after serving more than three years in prison for possessing medical cannabis. Several other U.S. citizens, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan, remain imprisoned in Russia.
A CIA spokesperson said the agency played a key role in facilitating the latest exchange, calling the outcome “an example of diplomacy working under difficult conditions.”
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A Symbol of Rising Risk for Dual Citizens in Russia
Karelina’s case has become emblematic of the growing risks faced by dual nationals in Russia, where the Kremlin has increasingly used detentions as leverage amid strained relations with the West.
For now, one American is coming home.
