WATCH Russia-US prisoner swap in Abu Dhabi
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has released two videos showing a surprise prisoner swap between the US and Russia, which was mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
The exchange took place on Thursday at Abu Dhabi airport and was first reported by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Moscow released Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian dual national jailed over donations to a charity that supports the Ukrainian military, while Washington freed Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian citizen arrested for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.
Karelina was already serving a 12-year sentence in a Russian prison, while Petrov could have faced 20 years in a US prison after being extradited from Cyprus.
The first clip released by the FSB shows a minibus carrying Karelina pulling up to a Russian-flagged plane, with the prisoner being escorted inside by a masked woman.
The second video shows the moment Petrov exits the plane in Abu Dhabi, accompanied by several officials with blurred faces. Petrov is seen immediately boarding another plane, with a doctor checking his blood pressure. Asked how he feels, he replies: “Not bad. But I haven’t slept for two days... It’s been a long transit.”
While the Kremlin declined to comment on the exchange, a CIA spokesperson said it “shows the importance of keeping lines of communication open with Russia, despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship.”
