Russia frees U.S. dual national Ksenia Karelina in apparent prisoner swap
CBSN
Russia has released Ksenia Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian national who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for treason in August last year, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a social media post early Thursday, offering no information about the terms of her release. The Wall Street Journal first reported Karelina's release, saying she was freed in a prisoner swap orchestrated by the two countries' intelligence agencies.
"American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States," Rubio said in the post. "She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release."
The Journal quoted CIA Director John Ratcliffe as saying in a statement to the newspaper that "President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia" and lauding "the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort."
