American ballerina Ksenia Karelina had a message for President Donald Trump after his administration engineered a deal that saw her released from a Russian prison this week.
Trump and the United States government managed to work out a prisoner swap that saw the Russian-American dancer freed on the back of a lengthy sentence.
Karelina was convicted in Russia following accusations of attending pro-Ukraine rallies and organizing fundraisers for the Ukrainian military. She was sentenced to a 12-year penal stay, but the U.S. deemed her detainment wrongful.
The country petitioned for her release. Russia wanted German-Russian prisoner Artur Petrov freed in return following his own conviction for smuggling American technology that could aid Russia’s military as a result.
Reports note that the government worked with the Central Intelligence Agency to negotiate the prisoner swap.
Ksenia Karelina Spent Over A Year In A Russian Penal Colony
Ksenia Karelina, a dual citizen, spent over a year in custody following her arrest last January and sentencing in August. She reunited with her fiance, Chris van Heerden, on Thursday night.
The ballerina also expressed gratitude to Trump.
“Mr. Trump, I’m so, so grateful for you to bring me home and for American government, and I never felt more blessed to be American, and I’m so, so happy to get home,” she said in an emotional video in which she was shown wiping tears from her eyes.
“Glad to have you back home,” Trump replied on his Truth Social social media platform.
Ksenia Karelina is just one of a handful of high-profile American prisoners who have gained their freedom as part of prisoner swaps with Russia in recent times. WNBA star Brittney Griner is perhaps the most notable, though Trump disagreed with Joe Biden’s decision to fashion her release in 2022.
American teacher Marc Fogel has also been freed in a similar swap since Griner’s release.
