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Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American ballerina who spent more than a year behind bars in Russia, is on her way back to the United States following a prisoner exchange, US officials confirmed Thursday.
Russian authorities released Karelina in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian national arrested in Cyprus in 2023 at the request of US law enforcement. Petrov was accused of violating export laws related to sensitive technology.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the news early Thursday on X, formerly Twitter. “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,” he posted. “@POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.”
Karelina, who had been living in Los Angeles, was initially arrested in February 2024 while visiting family in Russia. Authorities first charged her with petty hooliganism. The case later escalated when she was accused of treason.
Honored to greet Ksenia Karelina early this morning and help get her returned back home to the United States. Grateful for the @CIA officers who worked to make this success possible!
President Trump will continue to work for the release of all wrongfully detained Americans.
pic.twitter.com/AjHyD2Nc4F
— CIA Director John Ratcliffe (@CIADirector) April 10, 2025
Russian officials claimed she had donated $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity and participated in pro-Ukraine events while in the US, allegations they said supported a narrative of espionage. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian penal colony earlier this year.
Her arrest and sentencing sparked international concern. Human rights organizations and U.S. officials labeled her detention as unjust and politically motivated.
Family members expressed relief upon hearing the news of her release. “I’m euphoric,” her former stepmother, Eleonora Srebroski, said. “My spirit is high. We are extremely happy. This is beyond any emotion…This is healing.”
Srebroski credited President Donald Trump’s administration for securing Karelina’s freedom. “We were putting a lot of hope in the Trump administration, and we knew she would be next after Marc Fogel,” she said, referencing another American recently freed from Russian custody. “We support Trump even more.”
Srebroski also spoke of Karelina’s resilience while imprisoned. The ballerina, who had previously worked at a spa in Los Angeles, reportedly gave facial massages to fellow inmates and remained quiet and composed throughout her detention.
“She is a tough cookie. She doesn’t complain. She was keeping quiet,” Srebroski said.
US and Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison. She was found guilty of treason for collecting funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. – Russian media
She donated $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity. pic.twitter.com/9Lei1G86d5
— Kvist (@kvistp) August 15, 2024
Karelina’s boyfriend, professional boxer Chris Van Heerden, said last year that she avoided politics and rarely followed the news. She is “proud to be Russian, and she doesn’t watch the news. She doesn’t intervene with anything about the war,” he said.
Karelina was not included in a major prisoner exchange in August 2024, which saw Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva released. Her omission at the time raised questions and drew public attention to her case. Details about her arrival in the US have not yet been released.
Her return marks the second high-profile release of an American detained abroad under the Trump administration this year. In February, the former president helped bring back Marc Fogel, a teacher held in Russia since 2021.
