Russia and the United States have exchanged prisoners, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said. The exchange took place in Saudi Arabia.
Points of attention
- The United States and Russia conducted a prisoner exchange in Saudi Arabia, resulting in the exchange of citizens Ksenia Karelina and Artur Petrov.
- Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Russia for alleged high treason, while Petrov was sentenced for smuggling microelectronics into Russia worth over $225,000.
The US and Russia exchanged prisoners: what is known
The US has taken away American-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina.
Russia sentenced her to 12 years in prison for high treason for allegedly donating to the American charity Razom for Ukraine for the benefit of Ukraine.
Karelin arrived in Russia in January 2024 to visit relatives. She was detained at the airport and her phone was checked. The FSB accused her of alleged treason.
Russia has taken German-Russian citizen Artur Petrov away.
He was arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of the United States for smuggling American-made microelectronics to Russia. In total, he managed to deliver weapons components worth about $225,000 to Russia.
