American woman convicted of treason in Russia was released, she was sentenced to 12 years for donating 50 dollars to Ukraine.

Russia has released Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American citizen serving a 12-year sentence for treason. Ksenia was accused of donating $50 to help Ukraine. He was arrested in Russia last year.

In exchange for Ksenia, the US has released German-Russian citizen and alleged smuggler Arthur Petrov, who was held in the US on charges such as smuggling military equipment and money laundering. Petrov is accused of smuggling US-made micro-electronics into Russia. They were used to make weapons for the Russian army.

Ksenia’s release was confirmed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said she had left for the US. The prisoner swap took place in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. This has also been confirmed by the UAE.

Ksenia came to Russia to visit her grandmother

Ksenia was arrested in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in February last year. It is located 1600 km east of Moscow. He had come here to meet his mother. Her name before marriage was Ksenia Karilina. He was tried last year and found guilty.

He had donated $50 (about Rs 4200) to Razom, a charity associated with Ukraine. The woman has been identified as Ksenia Khawana (33). He has American citizenship.

In court, Ksenia was accused of giving money to a Ukrainian organization that helps the Ukrainian army buy weapons and ammunition.

The phone was seized

According to Ksenia’s lawyer, he admitted to the mistake of transferring money, but did not know that this organization sends money to the Ukrainian army, which is used against Russia. It was told that the funds would be used to help victims of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Ksenia is a former ballet dancer. She married a US citizen and took citizenship there in 2021 after moving to the US. Ksenia arrived in Russia in January 2024. His phone was seized by the police as he had come from the US.

The police found evidence of funding in the phone. She was about to return to the US, but was arrested before that. He was tried for treason and sentenced to 12 years.