Russia Freed Ksenia Karelina, a Detained American, Rubio Says

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that an American citizen had been released from Russian custody in a rare prisoner swap, amid a broader effort by Washington and Moscow to mend relations.

The prisoner, Ksenia Karelina, a dual citizen of Russia and the United States, was serving a 12-year sentence in Russia after being convicted of treason for donating about $50 to a nonprofit group that sends assistance to Ukraine.

Mr. Rubio said on Thursday that Ms. Karelina, 33, was “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,” he wrote on X.

News of Ms. Karelina’s release was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which said the move was part of a prisoner swap that took place in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates capital.

It came as U.S. and Russian diplomats were meeting in Turkey to discuss resuming direct flights and restoring staffing levels at embassies in both countries.

In February, Russia agreed to release Marc Fogel, an American teacher who was imprisoned in Russia on drug charges. The release of Mr. Fogel — whom the Biden administration had classified as wrongfully detained — was part of a deal with the Kremlin negotiated by Mr. Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. In exchange, the United States released Alexander Vinnik, a Russian who had been convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering.