Ksenia Karelina: LA ballerina's boyfriend speaks out after Russia treason arrest
The boyfriend of a Los Angeles woman detained in Russia says she was in the country to visit her aging grandmother when she was arrested on suspicion of treason for raising funds to support Ukraine.
The boyfriend of a Los Angeles woman detained in Russia says she was in the country to visit her aging grandmother when she was arrested on suspicion of treason for raising funds to support Ukraine.
Russia’s Federal Security Service said Tuesday that a 33-year-old dual U.S.-Russian citizen was detained in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg for allegedly financially supporting Ukraine’s army.
The FSB did not name her, but a senior U.S. official confirmed to NBC News that the detained American is Ksenia Karelina, a former ballerina turned esthetician in Beverly Hills. Karelina became a U.S. citizen in 2021, the U.S. official said.
Speaking with NBC Los Angeles, Karelina’s boyfriend Chris Van Heerden said she traveled to Russia to see her family, including her 90-year-old grandmother, on Jan. 2 after the couple spent New Year’s together in Turkey.
Van Heerden, who said he has been dating Karelina for six months, said she did not appear to have any reservations about returning to Russia when they parted.
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