Russian-American woman back home in LA after being freed in prisoner swap

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Russian-American woman freed by Moscow in a prisoner swap earlier this month arrived back home in Los Angeles.

Ksenia Karelina, who had been living in L.A., was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and convicted of treason on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine.

She was released as part of a prisoner exchange and returned to the U.S. last week when she landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

Karelina's fiancé, professional boxer Chris van Heerden, posted video on Instagram Friday of Karelina arriving in L.A. and being greeted by family and friends at the airport.

Karelina was among a growing number of Americans arrested in Russia in recent years as tensions between Moscow and Washington spiked over the war in Ukraine.

Her release is the latest in a series of high-profile prisoner exchanges Russia and the U.S. carried out in the last three years - and the second since Trump took office and reversed Washington's policy of isolating Russia in an effort to end the war in Ukraine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.