Russian American ballerina Ksenia Karelina is finally home. She returned to U.S. soil after a high-stakes prisoner swap with Russia. In an emotional video, she thanked the man she believes made it happen.
"Mr. Trump, I’m so, so grateful for you to bring me home and for [the] American government," she said. "And I never felt more blessed to be American and I’m so, so happy to get home. Thank you."
Trump posted the video Friday morning on Truth Social. He wrote simply, "Glad to have you back home."
Karelina landed late Thursday night at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. She shared a tearful embrace with her fiancé, boxer Chris Van Deerden, right after stepping off the plane.
She’ll now begin Post Isolation Support Activities—part of a U.S. program to help wrongfully detained Americans adjust back to normal life. A U.S. official confirmed the support.
Russia released her in exchange for Arthur Petrov, a German Russian citizen. He was arrested in 2023 in Cyprus on U.S. charges related to microelectronics exports.
"American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States," Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X. "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."
Karelina had been sentenced to 12 years in a Russian penal colony. Her crime? Donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity.
She was originally picked up for "petty hooliganism" while visiting family in Russia. Authorities later accused her of aiding Ukraine’s army and supporting pro-Ukraine actions in the U.S.
She was not part of a major August 2024 prisoner swap. That deal freed Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva from Russian custody.
Karelina is the latest American to be freed under Trump’s watch. Just in February, he secured the release of Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained in Russia since 2021.