‘Overwhelmed with happiness’ since release: Ksenia Karelina

(NewsNation) — Since her release from a Russian prison, former ballerina Ksenia Karelina said she is “overwhelmed with happiness.”

“It’s so great to feel the sunshine on my skin, feel my loved one next to me and I’m just really, really happy now,” Karelina told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo in a NewsNation exclusive Tuesday.

Karelina, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was arrested in Russia after it was found she donated $51 to Razom, a charity that provided aid to Ukraine, in 2022. She pleaded guilty to treason and was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian penal colony.

She was later freed in April of 2025 in a major prison swap between Washington and Russia. In exchange, Arthur Petrov, a Russian-German man who’d been jailed in the U.S. on smuggling charges, was released to the country. Other Americans that have been released from Russian custody include retired Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Chris Van Heerden, Karelina’s boyfriend, advocated for her release for 15 months before she was freed in the prisoner swap.

“Love wins no matter what,” van Heerden said of the push to get Karelina released. “I believe everyone would have done what I did if they were in my position. I also don’t want people to forget what she’s been through, she is so strong.”

Karelina said she is now working on having a normal life since her imprisonment and release.

“Thanks to Chris, I have the ability to take things slow, but I would really love to help people get through dark places because it was hard what I went through, and I now know some tools to get through hard things,” Karelina said.