This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l005w2j86o
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Woman jailed over £39 donation to Ukraine freed in US-Russia prisoner swap | Woman jailed over £39 donation to Ukraine freed in US-Russia prisoner swap |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Ksenia Karelina was detained in Yekaterinburg in 2024 | Ksenia Karelina was detained in Yekaterinburg in 2024 |
| A Russian-American citizen has been released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington. | A Russian-American citizen has been released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington. |
| Amateur ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a Los Angeles resident, had been in prison in Russia for over a year, after being arrested in early 2024 during a family visit in the city of Yekaterinburg. | |
| She was accused by Russia's FSB security service of raising money for a Ukrainian organisation providing arms to the Ukrainian military. She pleaded guilty last August and was sentenced to 12 years in jail. | |
| Russian human rights activists said while living in the US she had made a single transfer of $51 (£39) on the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 22 February 2022. | |
| The charity in question denied raising money for weapons or ammunition, saying it was focused on humanitarian aid and disaster relief. | |
| The FSB is thought to have discovered the transaction on her phone. | |
| In exchange, the US freed Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen arrested in Cyprus in 2023. He was accused of illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia for manufacturers working with the Russian military. | |
| An image broadcast by Russian state media shows Ksenia Karelina being escorted by a security officer towards a plane at an airport in an unidentified location | |
| Russian TASS news agency said President Vladimir Putin has pardoned Ms Karelina. | |
| The prisoner swap took place in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Thursday. | The prisoner swap took place in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Thursday. |
| US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Ms Karelina was "on a plane back home to the United States." | US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Ms Karelina was "on a plane back home to the United States." |
| He added she had been "wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year". | He added she had been "wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year". |
| "President Trump secured her release. [The President] will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans." | "President Trump secured her release. [The President] will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans." |
| CIA director John Ratcliffe was present at the exchange, the Wall Street Journal said. | CIA director John Ratcliffe was present at the exchange, the Wall Street Journal said. |
| It is the second prisoner swap between Russia and the US in less than two months. | It is the second prisoner swap between Russia and the US in less than two months. |
| In February, Russian national Alexander Vinnik - who was imprisoned in a US jail on money laundering charges - was freed in exchange for the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel. | In February, Russian national Alexander Vinnik - who was imprisoned in a US jail on money laundering charges - was freed in exchange for the release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel. |
| The exchange comes as Moscow and Washington continue efforts to improve relations. | |
| US and Russian officials are meeting in Istanbul today to hold another round of talks aimed at restoring some of the embassy operations that were scaled back following the Ukraine invasion. |