Secret service surgery
USA and Russia exchange prisoners
Updated on April 10th, 2025 – 10:20 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
After the big prisoner exchange in August, Moscow and Washington once again released two detainees. A double national in Russia and a arrested Russian from the United States are free.
The United States and Russia set up two detainees at a new prisoner exchange in Abu Dhabi. The US government announced that the double national Xenia Karelina, who was sentenced to twelve years in prison, was again in freedom. This was also confirmed by her Russian lawyer Mikhail Muschailow of the Moscow news agency Interfax.
In return, the dual national Artur Petrov was released, which was set in Cyprus in 2023 after an arrest warrant from the United States due to violations of the trade in microelectronics. According to the “Wall Street Journal”, the man also has a German passport in addition to the Russian.
The exchange was carried out at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Moscow Thanks to the United Arab Emirates for the broker role, the Russian domestic secret service FSB said. After his delivery to the United States in 2024, Petrov threatened 20 years in prison for violations of export laws, the FSB said. Karelina, on the other hand, was pardoned this month shortly before her release by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
US President Donald Trump said in Washington that his government had obtained the release of Ballerina Karelina “at the request of a very good friend”. The head of the martial arts organization UFC, Dana White, turned to him because Karelina was the girlfriend of a martial artist. The US government then spoke to Putin about it and made an agreement. “We appreciate that,” said Trump.
Karelina was convicted of a court in Jekaterinburg on the Urals last year for alleged treason. The verdict was made because the woman living in the US metropolis Los Angeles collected money for a Ukrainian aid organization and is said to have worked against the safety of Russia. Accordingly, Karelina is said to have raised donations for an organization, which then purchased material for the Ukrainian armed forces. It is said to have been the sum of $ 52 (around 47 euros).
Russia and the United States had repeatedly exchanged prisoners in the past. Kremlin chief Putin recently had imprisoned Russian criminals in the United States on August 1st by an exchange against Americans. Among the US citizens released by Russia was the journalist Evan Gershkovich, convicted of espionage. In the course of the prisoner exchange, in which seven states, including Germany, were involved, the so -called zoo killer, condemned in Berlin, was released.
