Ballerina Reflects on Year in Russian Prison after Return to the US
The American ballerina, who was imprisoned in Russia for over a year, shared her harrowing experience and how warmly she was received by former President Trump upon her return.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to be back in America,” Xenia Karelina, a dual citizen of Russia and the US, expressed during an interview on “My Views with Lala Trump.”
Karelina was detained in January 2024 during a visit to Russia to see her family. Previously, she had been working as an aesthetician at a spa in Los Angeles. Her charges included treason, stemming from a $51.80 donation to a US charity that aided victims of the war in Ukraine. The court sentenced her to 12 years in a labor camp in Russia.
“Landing in my hometown was when everything began to go sideways for me,” Karelina recalled, noting the intense scrutiny during border checks. They eventually inquired about her other passport.
Karelina explained that officials informed her she could face life imprisonment for what they described as “treason.” Initially, she found the entire situation hard to believe. “You can’t really comprehend that this is happening to you,” she said, reflecting on how movies and stories about prisons had shaped her perceptions.
Interestingly, her parents are also proud citizens of Russia. She described how they have been struggling this entire time, emphasizing the importance of supporting each other through such difficulties. During her confinement, she found motivation from a book about saints who endured in desolate conditions, which inspired her to persist within the harsh prison environment. “I just kept telling myself to take one more step, then another,” Karelina noted.
Throughout her ordeal, she maintained a correspondence with her boyfriend, Chris Van Harden, who she referred to as her “hero,” never wavering in his belief that she would eventually be freed. On April 10, 2025, during a prisoner exchange, she was finally released.
Upon her arrival back in the US, Karelina joyfully recounted her first meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office. “It felt like reuniting with an old friend,” she recalled, highlighting the warmth and humor he exhibited during their encounter.
Currently, Karelina is also focused on efforts to secure the release of Olga Jezler, a permanent US resident imprisoned in Russia for the past three years. She expressed a deep desire for peace in Ukraine, saying, “People shouldn’t have to suffer like this. I truly hope for a resolution soon.”
