Loved ones fight to free Southern California woman arrested in Russia for treason

Loved ones of a Los Angeles woman who was arrested in Russia and charged with treason are working to free her while she remains detained overseas.

Ksenia Karelina, 33, is accused of donating $51.80 to a Ukrainian charity in the United States in 2022 and was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

She was also accused of fundraising for a Ukrainian military cause and attending “public rallies in support of the Kyiv regime,” in the U.S., the Daily Mail reported.

Treason charges in Russia can carry up to a 20-year prison sentence.

Karelina worked at Ciel Spa in Beverly Hills. Her coworkers found out about her arrest when she failed to show up for work in mid-January.

She originally secured a Visa to come to the U.S. as a ballet dancer. She had been working at the spa for the past eight years before her arrest.

Chris Van Heerden, the woman’s boyfriend, is working every day to ensure Karelina can return home safely and to finally put an end to their ongoing nightmare.

Van Heerden is a former world champion welterweight boxer from South Africa who now lives in Los Angeles. Both he and Karelina, who is Russian-born, are transplants to the area.

He took a holiday trip with Karelina to Istanbul to celebrate the new year in 2024. After the trip, Van Heerden flew back home to L.A. while Karelina flew to visit her family in a remote part of Russia near Siberia.

Before they separated, he had been joking with her saying, “’Enjoy these last few days because I’m never going to see you again.’ I just made silly jokes.”

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Little did he realize, those chilling words would come true. Before her flight, he already believed it would be dangerous for her to fly back to Russia amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War.

“We had a conversation,” Van Heerden said. “I said, ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea. There’s a war going on and Russia and America are not best friends right now and you’re an American.’ But she convinced me.”

Karelina was arrested in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Video from Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reportedly showed Karelina being detained and led away in handcuffs by the FSB.

She was initially sentenced to 14 days detention for “petty hooliganism” before being slapped with treason charges, according to the Daily Mail.

Karelina entered Russia on Jan. 2 but U.S. officials did not learn of her arrest until Feb. 8, CNN reported.

Her arrest follows reports that her phone was allegedly held by Russian authorities for three weeks as they scoured through her social media pages, personal messages and photos. As she remains in custody, Van Heerden said he’s trying to think positively.

“I trust America,” he said. “I put my trust in God. I’m trying to think positive. I pray every night.”

Recently, he received a letter from his girlfriend that was sent under the approval of the Russian government.

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“She’s just writing about all the good memories that are keeping her sane,” he said of the letter. “She said all she has to do is close her eyes to go back to all these memories we have so she can feel closer to me.”

Karelina became a U.S. citizen in 2021 and has dual citizenship from both Russia and America. Russia however, does not recognize dual citizenship.

“Russia does not recognize dual citizenship, considers them to be Russian citizens first and foremost, and so oftentimes we have a difficult time getting consular assistance, but we will pursue it in all matters where a U.S. citizen is detained,” said Matthew Miller, a U.S. State Department Spokesperson at a press briefing.

Russia has been involved in recent incidents of detaining Americans including basketball player Brittney Griner for marijuana possession, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan on espionage charges, all of which they vehemently deny.

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Griner was later released in a prisoner exchange involving a Russian arms dealer on Dec. 8. 2022. Both Gershkovich and Whelan are still detained in Russia.

The U.S. State Department currently has a “Do Not Travel” advisory for Americans heading to Russia, citing wrongful detention as one of the risks.

For now, Van Heerden said Karelina told him she has not been harmed and that she is staying in a jail cell with “two kind women.”

Van Heerden said he’s working with the State Department on her release, but Russia has not granted U.S. officials access to her at this time.

“The media and the American people are showing so much love and support, it’s unbelievable,” Van Heerden said of the public support he’s been receiving.

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