UFC CEO Dana White has detailed how a personal connection with former U.S. President Donald Trump played a crucial role in securing the release of Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American dual citizen, from a Russian prison. Karelina was serving a 12-year sentence for a charitable donation to Ukraine, reportedly amounting to $51.80.
In a May 2026 interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, White explained that months prior, he received a request from a friend regarding Karelina, whose boyfriend was a fighter associated with the UFC. Karelina had been arrested in Russia after visiting her family. Authorities discovered a Venmo transfer of $51.80 from February 2022 to a New York-based nonprofit, Razom for Ukraine, which supported Ukrainian civilians. Despite the small amount and the organization’s denial of any involvement with weapons, Karelina was charged with high treason.
White stated that after previous efforts to secure her release through the prior U.S. administration proved unsuccessful, his friend asked him to contact Trump. White described the process: “I called him, and he said, ‘Yeah, let me see what I can do.’ And literally in three weeks, he had her out.” When asked how Trump achieved this, White surmised, “He called Putin, I would assume.”
Ksenia Karelina, a 34-year-old aesthetician and amateur ballerina living in Los Angeles, was detained in January 2024. She was formally charged under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. Her trial began in June 2024, and she pleaded guilty in August, a decision her attorney believed would lead to a reduced sentence. In August 2024, she was sentenced to 12 years in a general regime penal colony by the same judge who sentenced Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Karelina was released on April 10, 2025, as part of a prisoner exchange facilitated by the United Arab Emirates. Donald Trump publicly acknowledged White’s involvement at a Cabinet meeting on the same day, stating, “Dana White called me and he said it’s the friend or the relationship of one of the fighters… and we spoke to President Putin about it, and they made a deal. They released the young ballerina and she is now out.”
White, downplaying his personal role, commented, “I didn’t do anything but make a call.” He added that Karelina had FaceTimed him recently and described her as an “incredible, sweet, positive human being.” He credited both President Trump and President Putin for her release.
