Russian-American ballerina Xenia Karelina has been mistakenly detained in Russia for over a year, but is on her way back to the US, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed early Thursday.
Moscow has released Karelina in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a German Russian citizen who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 on suspicion of exporting sensitive microelectronics, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“American Xenia Karelina is on a plane back to the US. She was illegally detained in Russia for over a year, and President Trump has secured her release. @potus will continue to work for the release of all Americans.”
American ballerina has been accused of spying on stand trials in Moscow with a $51 Ukrainian donation
Russian-American ballerina Xenia Karelina has been mistakenly detained in Russia for over a year, but is on her way back to the US, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed early Thursday. (Eleonora Srebroski/Handout/Reuters)
Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian prison after pleading guilty to discord for donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity in early 2024.
She was initially detained for “little hooliganism” while visiting a Russian family in February 2024, but the charges were later upgraded to treason after accusations that she was acting as an American spy.
American ballerina excluded from Russia guilty of prisoner swaps on treason
Xenia Karelina's US and Russian ballerina was branded as an American spy when her treason trial was held in Russia on June 20, 2024. (East2West)
Russian authorities claimed that Karelina, who lived in Los Angeles, raised funds for the Ukrainian army and took part in “public action” in support of Ukraine while in the US.
Her boyfriend, boxer Chiss Van Dearden, told Fox News Digital last year that she “is proud to be Russian and she doesn't watch the news. She doesn't intervene anything about the war.”
Karelina's boyfriend, Chris Van Haerden, told Fox News Digital last year that she was proud to be American and Russian. (Fox News)
She was removed from the massive prisoner swap in August 2024, resulting in the release of Wall Street Journal reporters Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Ars Krmasheva.
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Details surrounding Carrerina's arrival in US soil were not released immediately.
She is the latest American prisoner who has been detained in another country to be released under President Donald Trump's administration. In February, Trump brought in Mark Vogel, a teacher of American history.
This is a broken news story. Please check for updates.
