Ballerina Ksenia Karelina Released in U.S.-Russia Prisoner Swap as Boyfriend Celebrates: ‘I Cannot Wait to Hold Her’

The former ballerina was convicted on Russian treason charges last year after donating $51.80 to a humanitarian group aiding victims of the war in Ukraine

Ksenia Karelina, an American ballerina who was arrested in Russia last year on treason charges after making a small donation to a Ukrainian aid group, was released in a prisoner swap on Thursday, April 10.

“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X. “She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year.”

Karelina, a 33-year-old former ballerina, was first arrested in February 2024 after making a $51.80 donation to a U.S. humanitarian group raising money to aid victims of the war in Ukraine, according to the Associated Press. Russia accused her of raising money for Ukraine’s military and convicted her of treason, sentencing her to 12 years in prison, BBC reported last year.

The American ballerina — who has also been identified in past media reports as Ksenia Khavana – had both U.S. and Russian citizenship, the outlet reported. Karelina became a U.S. citizen in 2021 and last lived in Los Angeles, according to the BBC. She was visiting family back in Russia at the time of her arrest.

Karelina’s boyfriend, boxer Chris van Heerden, had been vocal about her release, calling on U.S. authorities to include her in earlier prisoner swaps. “I’m angry, and I’m trying to hold my composure,” he told the BBC following Karelina’s sentencing last August, saying she “should be home.”

On Thursday, van Heerden told the AP in a statement that he was “overjoyed” about the news she was finally coming home. “She has endured a nightmare for 15 months and I cannot wait to hold her,” he said. “Our dog, Boots, is also eagerly awaiting her return.”

The former ballerina’s arrest and conviction came amid a spike in Russian detainments of American citizens following the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to the AP.

The outlet reports that Karelina’s plane is currently headed to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where she lived prior to moving to Los Angeles.

Karelina was swapped for Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian man convicted by the U.S. for smuggling microelectronics that are used for weapons, which circumvented an American export check, according to the AP.

The prisoner swap took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as U.S. and Russian officials met to help shore up its relationship amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, CBS News reported.