U.S.-Russian dual citizen Ksenia Karelina landed in the United States Thursday evening after being released from a Russian prison in an overnight prisoner exchange.

Karelina was arrested in 2024 and convicted of treason. She was accused of organizing fundraisers for Ukraine’s military, attending pro-Ukraine rallies and posting social media messages against Russia’s war in Ukraine. The U.S. maintained she was wrongfully detained.

Karelina was exchanged for German-Russian citizen Artur Petrov, who is accused of smuggling U.S. technology to assist the Russian military. She was greeted by her fiancé, Chris van Heerden when she deplaned at Joint Base Andrews.

#russia #ukraine #rusiaukrainewar
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