Breaking news. Former ballerina Ksenia Karelina freed in latest US-Russia prisoner swap

A US-Russian dual national jailed in Russia for treason was freed Thursday in a prisoner exchange with Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Ksenia Karelina, also identified in the media as Ksenia Khavana, is “on a plane back home to the United States,” Rubio said in a post on X.

She was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and convicted on charges stemming from a donation of about €47 to a charity aiding Ukraine.

The US authorities have labelled the case against her “absolutely ludicrous”.

She was exchanged for Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian citizen arrested in Cyprus in 2023 over allegations of microchip exports, reports say.

Karelina, a former ballet dancer, reportedly obtained US citizenship after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles. She was arrested when she returned to Russia to visit her family last year.

This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates.