Russia and the United States have once again exchanged prisoners in the United Arab Emirates. According to the Wall Street Journal, citing CIA Director John Radcliff, a US citizen of Russian origin and a Russian citizen with German citizenship were exchanged.
“Today, President Trump has brought another wrongly imprisoned American woman back home” said Radcliff.
The President’s security advisor, Mike Waltz, reported that Ksenia Karelina, who holds both Russian and US citizenship, has returned to the US. Karelina was convicted in Russia for supporting the Ukrainian military and attempting a coup and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
It is unclear which US citizen was returned to Russia. Neither Radcliff nor Waltz made any statements on the matter. However, according to unnamed sources, the German-Russian Arthur Petrow was able to return to freedom.
Petrow was extradited from Cyprus to the US in 2024 and was accused of being a member of an organization that procured large amounts of microelectronics for Russian companies and circumvented sanctions. He was arrested in Cyprus at the request of the US on August 26, 2023.
The exchange was facilitated by CIA Director Radcliff and Russian intelligence employees. This exchange further underscores that the claim made in Germany and the EU that negotiations with Russia are not possible does not reflect the reality of the situation.