Ksenia Karelina, who was jailed in Russia over a one-time donation to a Ukrainian charity group, was released in exchange for Artur Petrov, a dual Russian-German citizen.
An American citizen has been released from Russian custody in a prisoner swap, officials from the United States and Russia said on Thursday, amid a broader effort by the two countries to mend relations.
The American, Ksenia Karelina, was serving a 12-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of treason for donating about $50 to a nonprofit group that sends assistance to Ukraine. She also holds Russian citizenship.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Ms. Karelina, 33, was “on a plane back home to the United States.”
“She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release,” he wrote on X.
Russia’s intelligence agency said that Ms. Karelina had been released after a presidential pardon in exchange for Artur Petrov, a citizen of Russia and Germany whom the Justice Department had charged with export control violations.
The prisoner exchange highlighted how Moscow and Washington have been willing to engage in meaningful diplomacy even as talks led by the Trump administration about a potential cease-fire in Ukraine appear stalled.