Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American woman who had been serving a 12-year sentence for treason in Russia, is now free and en route to the United States, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a post on X Thursday, Rubio confirmed the news, stating, "American Ksenia Karelina is 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."
Rubio also emphasized that President Trump would continue his efforts to secure the freedom of all American citizens detained abroad. However, it remains unclear whether Karelina's release was part of a broader prisoner swap agreement.
Karelina, who was 33 at the time of her conviction, had been sentenced in August after being found guilty of treason for donating just over $50 to a U.S.-based charity supporting Ukraine. Her trial took place in the same Yekaterinburg court where Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich was convicted of espionage and handed a 16-year prison sentence last year.
Gershkovich was released in a landmark prisoner swap, which also saw the freedom of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and prominent Putin critic and permanent U.S. resident Vladimir Kara-Murza. The exchange included a number of Russian citizens, including convicted assassin Vadim Krasikov, who were returned to Russia from various countries.
Karelina, a Los Angeles resident and amateur ballerina, became a U.S. citizen in 2021. She had traveled to Russia in January 2024 to visit her 90-year-old grandmother, sister, and parents. Initially planning to stay for only two weeks, the US did not learn of her detention until Feb. 8, 2024.
Her release marks the second time since Donald Trump resumed office that an American citizen has been freed from Russian custody. In February, Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained in Russia for over three years, was released in a swap for Russian money launderer Alexander Vinnik.
