US ballerina Ksenia Karelina jailed in Russia for donating £40 to Ukraine charity freed following prisoner swap
10 April 2025, 10:00 | Updated: 10 April 2025, 10:15
A ballerina who was jailed in Russia for donating £40 to Ukraine charity has been dramatically freed following prisoner swap with the US.
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The female ballet dancer was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia for alleged 'treason' after making a $51 (£39) donation to a Ukrainian charity.
US-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina, who was arrested in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in February, was sentenced after allegedly raising money for the Ukrainian military.
The early morning swap in Abu Dhabi saw Vladimir Putin's intelligence agencies engage in the prisoner exchange with US officials.
It signals a growing relationship between the two superpowers, who are also hosting international negotiations amid ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks.
Ksenia Khavana, 33, whom Russian authorities identify using her maiden name of Karelina, pleaded guilty during a closed trial in a Russian court last week according to reports at the end of last year.
Khavana moved to the US in 2012 and became a citizen in 2021, having obtained US citizenship after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles.
The ballerina, who worked at a spa in Los Angeles, was arrested in February 2024 after returning to Russia to visit her family.
Karelina is among a group of Americans still held in Russia on a variety of charges, following this month's prisoner swap which saw Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich released by Russian authorities.
The ballerina is thought to have released Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian dual citizen who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023, over allegations he was exporting sensitive microelectronics.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who was reportedly involved in negotiations with his Russian counterpart Alexander Bortnikov, told the Wall Street Journal: "Today, President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia.
"I'm proud of the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort, and we appreciate the Government of United Arab Emirates for enabling the exchange."
Russia's Federal Security Service said Khavana "proactively collected money in the interests of one of the Ukrainian organisations, which was subsequently used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces".
Rights group The First Department said the charges stem from a $51 (£39) donation to a US charity that helps Ukraine.
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Since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has sharply cracked down on dissent and has passed laws that criminalise criticism of the operation in Ukraine and remarks considered to discredit the Russian military.
Concern that Russia could be targeting US nationals for arrest continues to rise.
It follows this month's prisoner exchange with the eastern nation - the largest Russia-West exchange since the end of the Cold War.
As part of the exchange, Russia released Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and American corporate security executive Paul Whelan, both of whom were imprisoned on espionage convictions.
US-Russian dual national Alsu Kurmasheva, a Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe journalist, was also released after being sentenced to six-and-a-half years for spreading "false information" about the Russian military.
Russia also released several prominent opposition figures who were imprisoned for criticising the Ukraine military operation.
