The exchange involved Arthur Petrov, who faced up to 20 years in an American prison on charges of illegal microelectronics exports
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has confirmed the latest prisoner swap with the US, which took place in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. The agency thanked Abu Dhabi for its mediation efforts in the deal.
The prisoner exchange was first announced by CIA Director John Ratcliffe in a statement to the Wall Street Journal. As part of the exchange, Moscow released Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian dual citizen and ballerina who had been sentenced to 12 years in prison for making donations to a charity that supported the Ukrainian military. Washington freed Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian citizen who had been arrested for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.
Commenting on the exchange, the FSB said Petrov had been detained at the request of American law enforcement agencies in 2023 in Cyprus, and was extradited the following year to the US, where he faced up to 20 years on allegations of violating export control laws.
With the UAE’s mediation, Petrov was exchanged for Karelina, who was sentenced in Russia “for treason in the form of providing financial assistance to a foreign state,” the FSB said. Karelina was pardoned by a presidential decree this month, the agency added.
“We express our gratitude to the leadership of the UAE for the assistance provided,” the FSB statement read.
The latest exchange comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump holds talks with Moscow on restoring bilateral ties, including the operations of diplomatic missions. The two sides are also engaged in dialogue aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict.
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