US BALLERINA Ksenia Karelina has been reunited with her boyfriend after finally being released from her Russian prison hell.
Karelina was hit with a 12-year jail sentence over a £40 donation to charity before being freed this week as part of a prisoner exchange.
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A plane carrying Karelina landed in Washington late on Thursday night as she was greeted by her emotional family.
Boyfriend and martial artist fighter Chris van Heerden was among the first to hug Karelina as the pair shared a hug and kissed as those around them cheered.
Karelina had been in a Russian jail since last year after pleading guilty to treason after donating just £40 to a pro-Ukraine charity which had links to the military.
The ballerina and aesthetician was visiting family in Russia last January when she was snatched by the FSB and detained.
She was later seen in footage released by Russia handcuffed and with a beanie over her eyes as she awaited a hearing.
But after months behind bars, Karelina was finally allowed to leave her jail cell as she was handed over to the US as part of a prisoner exchange deal in Abu Dhabi.
Russia were handed Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen, in return.
He was arrested in 2023 for allegedly exporting sensitive microelectronics.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe and a senior Russian intelligence official arranged the deal, according to a CIA official.
After greeting Karelina in the Middle East, Ratcliffe released a statement where he praised both Donald Trump, the United Arab Emirates government and the CIA for securing the release of the ballerina.
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Images from before her plane took off from Saudi shows Karelina and Ratcliffe sharing a warm embrace before she boarded the private jet.
The latest in a range of prisoner exchanges between the US and Russia in recent months comes as the two nations continue to grow closer to securing peace in Ukraine.
Despite the latest swap being a success a CIA spokesperson was clear that the US will continue to apply pressure on Moscow to release all US citizens imprisoned.
They announced: “The exchange shows the importance of keeping lines of communication open with Russia, despite the deep challenges in our bilateral relationship.
“While we are disappointed that other Americans remain wrongfully detained in Russia, we see this exchange as a positive step and will continue to work for their release.”
Karelina’s case was heard by the same court that wrongfully convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage in July.
Gershkovich was finally freed after being held by the Russian government for 491 days last year.
He was wrongfully detained in March 2023 while working as a journalist in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused him of spying for the US and he was convicted during a sham trial last month.
He faced up to 16 years in a Russian prison.
But the journalist finally journeyed home with two other Americans unfairly held in Russia as part of a similar prisoner swap deal.
Russian-American editor for Radio Free Europe, Alsu Kurmasheva, 47, and former US Marine Paul Whelan, 54, accompanied Evan in his release from Russian custody.
American school teacher Marc Fogel was also released from a Russian prison after being jailed over trumped-up drug charges in February.
Fogel, 63, was arrested at an airport in 2021 for the illegal possession of a small amount of medical cannabis and slapped with a 14-year sentence.
Fogel was finally freed from captivity after a meeting with President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow today.
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