MOSCOW: Russia released a Los Angeles spa worker on Thursday sentenced to 12 years in jail for donating to a charity aiding Ukraine in exchange for a man accused of crafting a global smuggling ring to spirit sensitive US electronics to Russia`s military.

The exchange, which took place on the tarmac of Abu Dhabi airport, indicates significant detailed contacts between President Vladimir Putin`s Kremlin and the administration of US President Donald Trump, who says he wants to strike a peace dealto end the war in Ukraine.

Footage on Russian state television showed Ksenia Karelina, a dual citizen who was found guilty last year of treason by a Russian court for donating $51.80 to a US-based charity providing humanitarian support to Ukraine, flying out ofRussia.

Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen arrested in 2023 in Cyprus at the request of the US for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics, was shown walking past Karelina towards a Russian plane where he underwent medical checkups, complaining only of fatigue.

`Petrov was exchanged for US citizen Ksenia Karelina, who also holds Russian citizenship and was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony for treason in the form of financial assistance to a foreign state,` Russia`s Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said.

`We express our gratitude to the UAE leadership for their assistance, the FSB said. The UAE posted a picture of Karelina on the tarmac in Abu Dhabi beside a Russian plane.-Reuters