US and Russia Swap Prisoners

Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina, accused of treason for making a donation to a charity supporting Ukraine, attends a court hearing in Yekaterinburg, Russia August 15, 2024. REUTERS/Dmitry Chasovitin/
Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina, accused of treason for making a donation to a charity supporting Ukraine, attends a court hearing in Yekaterinburg, Russia August 15, 2024. REUTERS/Dmitry Chasovitin/
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US and Russia Swap Prisoners

Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina, accused of treason for making a donation to a charity supporting Ukraine, attends a court hearing in Yekaterinburg, Russia August 15, 2024. REUTERS/Dmitry Chasovitin/
Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina, accused of treason for making a donation to a charity supporting Ukraine, attends a court hearing in Yekaterinburg, Russia August 15, 2024. REUTERS/Dmitry Chasovitin/

Russia released a dual Russian-US citizen jailed for donating to a charity providing aid to Ukraine, her lawyer said on Thursday, in what the Wall Street Journal described as a swap for a Russian-German national jailed in the United States.

A lawyer for Ksenia Karelina, who was found guilty last year of treason by a Russian court for donating money to a US-based charity providing humanitarian support to Ukraine, told Reuters she was on her way back to the United States.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe and a senior Russian intelligence official conducted talks for the swap in Abu Dhabi, according to a CIA official quoted by the Journal.

"Today, President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia," Ratcliffe said in a statement to the Journal.

Karelina left for the US on a plane from Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning, her Russian lawyer, Mikhail Mushailov, said.

She was swapped for Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen, who was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the US for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.

The US Justice Department said last year that Petrov had participated in a scheme to procure US-sourced microelectronics for manufacturers supplying weaponry and other equipment to the Russian military.

 



Switzerland to Enact Hamas Ban from May 15

FILED - 08 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Deir al-Balah: Fighters of the Ezz al-Din Al-Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas form a corridor as Israeli hostages get delivered to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
FILED - 08 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Deir al-Balah: Fighters of the Ezz al-Din Al-Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas form a corridor as Israeli hostages get delivered to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
TT

Switzerland to Enact Hamas Ban from May 15

FILED - 08 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Deir al-Balah: Fighters of the Ezz al-Din Al-Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas form a corridor as Israeli hostages get delivered to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
FILED - 08 February 2025, Palestinian Territories, Deir al-Balah: Fighters of the Ezz al-Din Al-Qassam brigades, the military wing of Hamas form a corridor as Israeli hostages get delivered to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

A new Swiss law banning Hamas and related organizations will come into force on May 15, the government said on Wednesday, aiming to prevent the Palestinian militant group from using Switzerland as a safe haven by making entry bans or expulsions easier to arrange.
The law, which was approved by parliament last December and came in the wake of Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, gives Swiss authorities "the necessary tools to take action against Hamas activities or support for the organization in Switzerland," the government said, according to Reuters.
The Gaza war started after Hamas' attack which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave has killed more than 52,000, according to local Palestinian health officials.
The Swiss law enables preventive police measures such as entry bans or expulsions, and also makes it more difficult for Hamas to use Switzerland as a financial hub for its activities.