The United States and Russia have conducted a prisoner exchange in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, which saw a Russian national arrested in Cyprus in 2023 being freed by the US in return for a dual U.S.-Russian citizen held by Moscow.
Artur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen, was apprehended in Cyprus at the request of U.S. authorities on suspicion of exporting sensitive microelectronics. In exchange for Petrov’s release, Russia freed Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian national.
Karelina had been convicted in Russia and sentenced to 12 years in prison for donating a small sum to a U.S.-based Ukrainian charity. A former ballet dancer, Karelina became a U.S. citizen in 2021 after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles.
“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release,” stated U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He added that Trump “will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, the swap took place at Abu Dhabi airport as part of an intelligence-brokered deal. CIA Director John Ratcliffe and a senior Russian intelligence official reportedly held talks on the exchange.
Russia’s Federal Security Service later confirmed the transfer of the prisoners.
(https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/international/us-russia-prisoner-exchange-abu-dhabi/)
