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US ballerina Ksenia Karelina who was jailed for 12 years in Russia is freed in prisoner swap

Home> News> World News

Updated 11:38 10 Apr 2025 GMT+1Published 11:00 10 Apr 2025 GMT+1

breaking

US ballerina Ksenia Karelina who was jailed for 12 years in Russia is freed in prisoner swap

She was initially jailed in early 2024

James Moorhouse

James Moorhouse

A US ballerina who was jailed for 12 years in Russia has been freed in a prisoner exchange, according to her lawyer and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

America and Russia seemingly don't see eye-to-eye on many things right now, with Donald Trump's attempts to persuade Vladimir Putin into a ceasefire proving fruitless, but it seems as if the two countries have managed to come to an agreement when it comes to the fate of Ksenia Karelina.

The ballet dancer was arrested and put behind bars in early 2024 after donating $51 to a charity supporting Ukraine.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Karelina of taking part in 'public actions to support the Kyiv regime' after she donated $51.80 to a charity supporting Ukraine. The beneficiaries Razom are a New York-based non-profit group that provides non-military aid to the eastern European country which has been war torn ever since Russia invaded in 2022.

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Karelina was arrested for 'treason' back in February 2024 after donating to a charity promising aid to Ukraine(GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Karelina was arrested for 'treason' back in February 2024 after donating to a charity promising aid to Ukraine(GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

While American authorities called the charges brought against her 'absolutely ludicrous', Russia were convinced that Karelina had '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.'

The 34-year-old, who was born in Russia but attained US citizenship in 2021, was accused of treason after officials in Yekaterinburg searched her phone and arrested her in February 2024.

"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."

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CIA director John Ratcliffe (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
CIA director John Ratcliffe (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

She was freed as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia, which was negotiated between the CIA and senior Russian intelligence officials. It also saw German-Russian citizen Arthur Petrov freed. He was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of the US for reportedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.

The swap comes just one day after Karelina's boyfriend, former boxer champion Chris Van Heerden, appealed to the US for its help with freeing his partner while speaking on the The Megyn Kelly Show.

Back in 2024, he told CNN: "She doesn’t intervene with anything about the war. I believe America will bring her back to me."

Nearly one year on and the two will be finally reunited after she was finally freed and sent on a plane back to the US.

Featured Image Credit: Sverdlovsk Regional Court

Topics: Russia, Ukraine

James Moorhouse
James Moorhouse

James is a NCTJ Gold Standard journalist covering a wide range of topics and news stories for LADbible. After two years in football writing, James switched to covering news with Newsquest in Cumbria, before joining the LAD team in 2025. In his spare time, James is a long-suffering Rochdale fan and loves reading, running and music. Contact him via [email protected]

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@JimmyMoorhouse

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