Russia, U.S. exchange prisoners in Abu Dhabi

The Wall Street Journal reported the information.

The WSJ noted that the exchange was carried out "in a sign of continuing confidence building, as the two sides pursue a deal to end the war in Ukraine."

According to the outlet, Russia has released Ksenia Karelina, a dual Russian-American citizen who was sentenced to 12 years in prison last year on charges of high treason. Investigators discovered that on the second day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, she donated $51 to the Ukrainian organization Razom, which supports people affected by the war. Prosecutors reportedly found evidence of the donation on her mobile phone, her lawyer said.

Later, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Ksenia Karelina was returning to the States.

"American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release.  President Trump will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans," he wrote on social media platform X.

In exchange, the United States released Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen. He was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of the United States for smuggling sensitive microelectronics. According to court documents, Petrov worked for the Russian company Electrocom VPK, which supplies weapons and other equipment to the Russian military. He and two Russian accomplices ran a network of illegal purchases. They fraudulently purchased large quantities of microelectronics subject to U.S. export controls from American distributors, using front companies to disguise that the electronic components were destined for Russia. The case materials noted that various types of components they supplied were found in Russian military equipment on the battlefields in Ukraine, including guided missiles, UAVs, electronic warfare equipment, and communications devices.

• Negotiations between Russian and American delegations aimed at normalizing embassy operations have begun on April 10.