President Donald Trump celebrated the return home of a Russian American ballerina after his administration secured her release from Moscow.
Ksenia Karelina returned to the U.S. and shared a heartfelt message for the president who has secured the freedom of dozens of Americans being imprisoned in foreign countries since he returned to the White House.
The administration secured Karelina’s release as part of a prisoner swap deal after she was detained in Russia on charges of “treason.” The State Department confirmed she was being released, and on Thursday night, she landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. After hugging her fiancé, professional boxer Chris van Heerden, the American-Russian dual citizen expressed her gratitude to Trump.
Ksenia Karelina just landed back home in America—the 45th U.S. citizen freed by President Donald J. Trump in just 9 weeks.
“Mr. Trump, I’m so, so grateful for you to bring me home and for American government… I never felt more blessed to be American… Thank you.” 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/SOwbIJDd2A
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 11, 2025
“Mr. Trump, I’m so, so grateful for you to bring me home and for [the] American government,” Karelina said in a video that was shared by the White House and spread on social media.
“And I never felt more blessed to be American, and I’m so, so happy to get home,” she added. “Thank you,.”
“Glad to have you back home,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, sharing the video in a post Friday morning.
Chris van Heerden also celebrated her release in a thankful post on X.
My GOD is a faithful GOD that hears the cry of the broken heart and HE answers prayers. In JESUS’ name, KSENIA KARELINA is free and on her way home to the greatest country in the World, the United States of America 🇺🇸
Thank you, President @POTUS
— Chris van Heerden (@TheHeat001) April 10, 2025
“Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian penal colony after pleading guilty to treason for donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity in early 2024. She was initially detained for “petty hooliganism” while visiting family in Russia that year,” Fox News reported. “Russian authorities claimed that Karelina, who lived in Los Angeles, raised money for the Ukrainian army and took part in ‘public actions’ that supported Ukraine while in the U.S.”
A prisoner swap in August 2024 under the Biden administration had secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva, but Karelina was not included in the deal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted that Karelina was “on a plane back home” on Thursday.
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. @POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 10, 2025
“She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. @POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans,” he wrote.
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
