A Russian-American ballerina who was sentenced to serve 12 years in a hellhole jail for donating to a charity aiding Ukraine landed in Washington after being freed in a prisoner swap has been reunited with family.
Ksenia Karelina, 33, embraced her fiancé, professional boxer Chris van Heerden, 37, on Thursday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland in a heartwarming, emotional moment on captured on video after her release from the brutal Russian jail.
Karelina’s safe return followed months of imprisonment in Russia, after her shocking arrest during a visit to her family in Yekaterinburg in February 2024.
She was detained after the FSB security service found a $51 donation to the Ukrainian aid group Razom on her phone and accused her of supporting the Ukrainian army.
After enduring grueling months in detention, Karelina was freed in a prisoner swap negotiated between the intelligence agencies of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
The prisoner exchange, which took place on the tarmac of an airport in Abu Dhabi, marks significant behind-the-scenes communication between the two nations, with Trump emphasizing the importance of the deal.
‘This young ballerina is out, and we appreciate that,’ Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
The swap saw Karelina freed in exchange for Russian national German Arthur Petrov, arrested in Cyprus in August 2023 on US charges of smuggling sensitive microelectronics to Russia.
Ksenia Karelina, 33, embraced her fiancé, professional boxer Chris van Heerden, 37, in a heartwarming, emotional moment captured on video after her release from the brutal Russian jail
Karelina’s safe return followed months of imprisonment in Russia, after her shocking arrest during a visit to her family in Yekaterinburg in February 2024
Petrov was extradited to the US and later released in Abu Dhabi.
The CIA underscored that the exchange highlights the critical need for continued communication with Russia despite ongoing tensions, while US and Russian diplomats also met in Istanbul for talks aimed at stabilizing diplomatic relations.
This exchange ‘shows the importance of keeping lines of communication open with Russia, despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship,’ the CIA said in a statement, the New York Post reported.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who was reportedly involved in prisoner negotiations with FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov, was among those who greeted Karelina at the airport in Abu Dhabi.
He told the WSJ: ‘Today, President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia.
‘I’m proud of the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort, and we appreciate the Government of the United Arab Emirates for enabling the exchange.’
‘Today, the United States welcomes the return of American-Russian ballerina Ksenia Karelina,’ national security adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement.
‘President Trump and his administration continue to work around the clock to ensure Americans detained abroad are returned home to their families.’
She was detained after the FSB security service found a $51 donation to the Ukrainian aid group Razom on her phone and accused her of supporting the Ukrainian army
After enduring grueling months in detention, Karelina was freed in a prisoner swap negotiated between the intelligence agencies of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. Pictured: Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American dual citizen who was released from detention in Russia, arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on April 10
US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said on X: ‘American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. [Donald Trump] will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.’
Karelina’s release marks the second prisoner swap between the US and Russia since Donald Trump took office in January.
Russia in February freed Marc Fogel, a schoolteacher and former employee of the US embassy in Moscow.
Fogel had served three and a half years of a 14-year sentence for drug smuggling after being caught in possession of a small amount of marijuana.
In exchange, Washington released Alexander Vinnik, a convicted Russian cybercriminal who had pleaded guilty in a US court to conspiring to launder money.
At least 10 other Americans remain behind bars in Russia on various charges, hoping their government can secure their release.
They include Stephen Hubbard, a 73-year-old native of Michigan jailed in October for nearly seven years on charges that he served as a mercenary in Ukraine.
Hubbard had been living in the Ukrainian town of Izium and was arrested after Russian forces took control of the city in 2022.
A dual Russian-American citizen, Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison in August 2024 after a Russian court found her guilty of treason for donating just over $50 to a New York-based charity supporting Ukraine
Russian-American dual citizen Ksenia Karelina boards a private jet after her release at an airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, April 10
His relatives rejected claims that Hubbard served for Ukraine, pointing to his advanced age. He was designated in January as wrongfully detained.
Gordon Black, an active duty US staff sergeant based in South Korea, was detained last May in Russia’s Far East on suspicion of stealing money from his Russian girlfriend.
A court in June found Black guilty of stealing 10,000 roubles ($104) from the woman and threatening to kill her, sentencing him to three years and nine months in prison.
Another American citizen, Joseph Tater, was sentenced to 15 days in jail last August for ‘petty hooliganism’ after he was alleged to have abused staff at a Moscow hotel, which he denied.
He should have been released after serving the small sentence, but Russian news agencies say he is now being investigated on a more serious charge of assaulting a police officer, which carries up to five years in prison.
A court in September denied his appeal to be released from pre-trial detention and he remains in custody.
And, in one of the most high-profile cases, American citizen Eugene Spector – who was born in Russia and then moved to the US – was charged last August with espionage.
Marc Fogel, a US man who was detained in Russia and freed in a prisoner exchange in February, puts on his cap before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home opener baseball game, Friday, April 4, 2025
Marc Fogel, an American history teacher who was detained in Russia and Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East reacts during US President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress
Before his arrest in 2021, he served as chairman of the board of Medpolymerprom Group, a company specialising in cancer-curing drugs, state media said.
Spector had pleaded guilty to helping bribe an assistant to an ex-Russian deputy prime minister. It was not clear how he pleaded to the espionage charge.
There are hopes that Trump’s efforts to renew diplomatic ties with Russia will see more prisoner swaps in the coming months.
‘The exchange shows the importance of keeping lines of communication open with Russia, despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship,’ a CIA spokeswoman told the WSJ following Karelina’s release earlier today.
‘While we are disappointed that other Americans remain wrongfully detained in Russia, we see this exchange as a positive step and will continue to work for their release.’
