US ballerina Ksenia Karelina, who donated $51 to Ukraine, freed from Russian jail in prisoner swap

Russian President Vladimir Putin pardons ballerina jailed after donating money to support Ukraine

A US ballerina jailed for 12 years in Russia after donating $51 to a charity supporting Ukraine has been freed.

Ksenia Karelina was arrested in Yekaterinburg in February last year after returning to Russia to visit her family.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed she had been released and was on a plane home to the U.S. in a post on X.

Karelina was freed as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia, negotiated between the CIA and senior Russian intelligence officials.

Russian President Vladimir Putin pardoned Karelina before the swap, according to Russia’s Federal Security Service, the FSB.

Her plane left Abu Dhabi airport, where the exchange took place, early in the morning, her Russian lawyer Mikhail Mushailov said.

The UAE has a history of brokering prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine, as well as overseeing another Russia-U.S. high-profile swap in Abu Dhabi in December 2022.

US-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina with the UAE ambassador to the U.S. after her release (AP)

Karelina gets on a private jet after her release at an airport in Abu Dhabi (AP)

“We express our gratitude to the UAE leadership for their assistance,” the FSB said.

Many Russians and Ukrainians fled to Dubai after the start of Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“Today, President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe told the Wall Street Journal.

“I’m proud of the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort, and we appreciate the Government of U.A.E. for enabling the exchange.”

Karelina was jailed after donating money to support Ukraine (AP)

Karelina obtained US citizenship in 2021 after briefly marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles, where she worked at a spa.

Russia’s FSB had accused Karelina of “proactively” collecting funds for an organization which would buy ammunition, medical supplies and weapons for the Ukrainian army. The charity, Razom for Ukraine, said its donations only go to humanitarian projects.

The charges stemmed from a $51.80 donation to the New York-based charity, according to the Russian rights group The First Department, after FSB agents inspected her phone.

In the closed trial, Karelina pleaded guilty to treason, hoping to get a lighter sentence, her lawyer previously said.

The U.S. authorities called the case against her “absolutely ludicrous”.

Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen, was freed in exchange for Karelina.

Arthur Petrov sits in a plane during a prisoner swap between Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi (via REUTERS)

He was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of the United States for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics subject to U.S. export controls, for a Russian military supplier.

He was extradited to the U.S. in August 2024 and faced charges of smuggling, money laundering, wire fraud and export control violations.

The swap comes after Karelina’s partner, former boxer champion Chris Van Heerden, advocated for her release on The Megyn Kelly Show on Wednesday.

Van Heerden said American film director Peter Berg and Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White campaigned for her return, including making a call to the US government.

“I am overjoyed to hear that the love of my life, Ksenia Karelina, is on her way home from wrongful detention in Russia,” Van Heerden said in a separate statement. “She has endured a nightmare for 15 months and I cannot wait to hold her. Our dog, Boots, is also eagerly awaiting her return.”