KREMLIN: Russia and the United States on Thursday conducted a prisoner swap facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, said the Russian Federal Security Service.
“On April 10, at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, with UAE mediation, Russian citizen Artur Petrov was returned home,” the security service said in a statement.
Detained by the U.S. authorities in Cyprus in 2023, Petrov was extradited to the U.S. in 2024 on charges of violating export control laws. He was facing up to 20 years in prison in the U.S.
He was exchanged for U.S.-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina, who was found guilty of treason and sentenced to 12 years.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier confirmed on Thursday that Ksenia Karelina had been released and was on a plane back home to the United States.
U.S. teacher Marc Fogel was released from a Russian prison in February during a visit by President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russia’s sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev were involved in those negotiations.
In August last year, the United States and Russia carried out their biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War, with 24 prisoners gaining their freedom, including U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
