Russia has released Xenia Karelina. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison In a new prison exchange on Thursday for treason last August. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed her release in a social media post early Thursday, but no information was provided regarding the terms of her release.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the release of Karelina, released in a swap arranged by the intelligence agencies of both countries, and CIA officials later told CBS News that the agency played a central role in the deal on behalf of the US government.
“American Xenia Carrerina is on a plane back to the US,” Rubio said in his post. “She was illegally detained in Russia for over a year, and President Trump has secured her release.”
The plane landed at Andrews’ joint base in Maryland around 11pm, where she was greeted by several people, including her boyfriend, professional boxer Chris Van Harden. In a moving moment, Karelina and Van Hilden had a long embrace.
Kevin Mohatt/Reuters
In a statement first published by the Journal and later provided to CBS News, CIA director John Ratcliffe said “President Trump brought home another illegally detained American from Russia,” praised Abu Dhabi’s UAE in Abu Dhabi, whom he said he had interacted with with “a CIA officer who worked tirelessly to support this effort.” The exchange of the two detainees took place in Abu Dhabi.
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Reuters 
Ratcliffe was directly involved in the negotiations, but he went with an unknown senior Russian intelligence agency official, the CIA said.
Top-level communications demonstrate the deeper efforts of the Trump administration to improve relations with Moscow. Trump is urging both Russia and Ukraine to negotiate a peace deal to end the three years The war was caused by the continuous full-scale Russian invasion of that neighbor.
In exchange for Karelina, who lives in California, CIA officials confirmed that they have released Arthur Petrov, a German Russian citizen who was arrested in Cyprus 2023 at the request of US authorities. According to the journal, he was bound by allegations of exporting sensitive microelectronics.
A CIA spokesperson said on Thursday that “many of the SWAP has been negotiated by the US government, and the CIA plays an important role in engaging in Russia’s intelligence reporting agency,” and that “the exchange demonstrates the importance of keeping the lines of communication open with Russia despite the deep challenges of bilateral relations.”
Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian prison after pleading guilty to treason. According to Russian national media, she was arrested for donating about $51 to a humanitarian group based in the US when she was arrested while visiting Russia.
Her lawyer said she allowed the money to be transferred, but she refused to deliberately point them to an organization that may have used the money for its actions against Russia. She didn’t expect her contributions to support anti-Russian activities, according to her lawyers.
Van Hierden He told CBS News Last year, she added that she had “nothing wrong” in 2022, after making a small donation of “exercise her First Amendment rights.”
Van Hayerden said he was worried about Karelina’s decision to return to Russia for a visit given the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, but he said he “wasn’t worried about the world” and that she was certain she was safe after entering the country as a dual-American citizen.
“She wanted to go home. She made it very clear that she wanted to go home,” Van Haleden told Gale King on “CBS Morning.”
Van Hayerden says she wants to make it happen to her wish to visit the house, and he says he bought her a plane ticket as a birthday present, and the pair first travelled together to Istanbul. He originally intended to travel to Russia with her from there, but he did not feel comfortable, so she traveled to Russia alone and he returned to Los Angeles.
Russia imprisoned many Americans as tensions with Washington accumulated and eventually soared amid a full-scale war in Ukraine. Paul WhelanWall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gerschkovich And teacher Mark Vogel Everything was accidentally detained like Karelina and released in a swap of previous prisoners with Moscow.
Among the US citizens still incarcerated in Russia is a US military staff sergeant. Gordon BlackThe three-year, nine-month prison sentence for stealing and threatening a Russian girlfriend was reduced by seven months earlier this week by a Russian court.
Robert Gilman, 72, is currently sentenced to 31.5 years in Russia for attacking a police officer. Travis LeakThe musician convicted on drug charges was sentenced to 13 years in prison last summer.
Russian courts He also declared an American at 72 years old.Stephen Hubbard, in prison for nearly seven years in October to fight alongside the Ukrainian army.
Joseph TaterThe 46-year-old is still waiting for his trial for allegedly assaulting a Russian police officer in a Moscow hotel. According to Russian national media, he was unconsciously recognized by a psychiatric hospital over the weekend.
Analisa Novak and Emmett Lyons contributed to this report.
more
