{"id":2422559,"date":"2025-04-11T13:07:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T17:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ballerina-freed-from-russian-prison-sends-heartfelt-message-to-trump-immediately-after-returning-to-us\/"},"modified":"2025-04-11T13:08:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T17:08:17","slug":"ballerina-freed-from-russian-prison-sends-heartfelt-message-to-trump-immediately-after-returning-to-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ballerina-freed-from-russian-prison-sends-heartfelt-message-to-trump-immediately-after-returning-to-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Ballerina Freed from Russian Prison Sends Heartfelt Message to Trump Immediately After Returning to US"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fballerina-freed-from-russian-prison-sends-heartfelt-message-to-trump-immediately-after-returning-to-us%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2422559&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the return of Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American former ballerina who was detained in Russia for over a year on questionable charges. Released by President Donald Trump, she expressed her profound gratitude upon returning to the United States, highlighting the privilege of living in America. Karelina was arrested after making a small donation to a charity aiding Ukraine and was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian penal colony for &#8220;high treason.&#8221; Her release was part of a broader initiative by Trump, who has freed 45 american prisoners in just nine weeks. The article also reflects on themes of injustice, the nature of American citizenship, and the gratitude for her safe return, noting that her case exemplifies the arbitrary social and political tensions between the U.S. and Russia.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The majority of Americans &mdash; those immune to establishment propaganda &mdash; know that they have a powerful advocate in President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, some Americans know that better than others.<\/p>\n<p>In a 12-second clip posted Friday to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platform<\/a> X, Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American woman and former ballerina who lived most recently in Los Angeles, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/brad-wenstrup-becomes-latest-lawmaker-to-forgo-reelection-in-2024\/\" title=\"Brad Wenstrup becomes latest lawmaker to forgo reelection in 2024\">expressed deep gratitude<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-reacts-chinas-hollywood-boycott-witty-one-liner-hollywood-wont-happy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump<\/a> for freeing her from a Russian prison, where she had spent more than a year following her February 2024 arrest in Russia on the kind of flimsy charges that tyrannical regimes so often bring against innocent victims.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Mr. Trump, I&rsquo;m so, so grateful for you to bring me home and for American government,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Then, she acknowledged the privilege of living in the greatest country in the history of the world.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And, I never felt more blessed to be American,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m so, so happy to get home. Thank you.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Ksenia Karelina just landed back home in America&mdash;the 45th U.S. citizen freed by President Donald J. Trump in just 9 weeks.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Mr. Trump, I&rsquo;m so, so grateful for you to bring me home and for American government&hellip; I never felt more blessed to be American&hellip; Thank you.&rdquo; &#127482;&#127480; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SOwbIJDd2A\">pic.twitter.com\/SOwbIJDd2A<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WhiteHouse\/status\/1910690315104669981?\">April 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Thursday on X, Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/secretary-state-rubio-lays-law-reporter-asks-activist-students-visa-revoked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marco Rubio<\/a> announced that Karelina would make her way home soon.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States,&rdquo; Rubio wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. @POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States.<\/p>\n<p>She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/POTUS?\">@POTUS<\/a> will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecRubio\/status\/1910254119794680251?\">April 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Karelina&rsquo;s wrongful detainment should remind all Americans of our good fortune.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/ksenia-karelina-ballerina-russia-returns-us-rcna200779\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC News<\/a>, Russian authorities arrested the former ballerina in February 2024. On Feb. 24, 2022 &mdash; the day Russian forces invaded neighboring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-assassin-tried-get-ukraine-rocket-launcher-blow-air-force-one-court-docs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ukraine<\/a> &mdash; Karelina made a $51.80 donation to a charity that provided aid to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>For that &ldquo;crime&rdquo; of &ldquo;high treason,&rdquo; she received a 12-year sentence in a Russian penal colony.<\/p>\n<p>Russian authorities freed her in exchange for Russian national Arthur Petrov.<\/p>\n<p>Happily, Karelina&rsquo;s safe return allows one to indulge in a few broader reflections.<\/p>\n<p>First, the Trump White House indicated that in only nine weeks the president has now freed 45 American prisoners abroad. For comparison&rsquo;s sake, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/joe-biden-donald-trump-hostages-1933435\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Newsweek<\/a>, former President Joe Biden had freed &ldquo;more than 70 Americans&rdquo; by August 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Second, one senses that the vast majority Americans who have long opposed the perpetual financing of Ukraine&rsquo;s war effort &mdash; at least the ones to whom this writer has listened and spoken &mdash; never harbored any illusions about the tyrannical nature of the Russian regime under President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/angry-trump-sends-threats-putin-zelenskyy-made-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vladimir Putin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, one also marvels at the charge of &ldquo;high treason.&rdquo; An American citizen, of course, cannot commit treason against another nation. But Europeans have never seen things quite that way. On that continent, where commitment to blood and soil dictated allegiances for centuries, one could not simply revoke one&rsquo;s status and join another political community.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, one <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">feels profound gratitude<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/american-freed-taliban-captivity-speaks-thank-god-back-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">God<\/a> for bringing the former ballerina safely home.<\/p>\n<p>According to NBC, Karelina&rsquo;s fianc&eacute;, Chris van Heerden, greeted her on the tarmac. And that means that the healing of two people victimized by profound injustice may now begin.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most Americans, particularly those not swayed by mainstream narratives, recognize President Donald Trump as a strong ally. This was highlighted in a brief 12-second video shared on the social media platform X, where Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American and former ballerina from Los Angeles, expressed her heartfelt thanks to Trump for securing her release from a Russian prison. She had been detained for over a year following her arrest in February 2024 on dubious charges typical of oppressive regimes targeting innocent individuals. &#8220;Mr. Trump, I\u2019m incredibly grateful for bringing me home and for the American government,&#8221; she stated. She also reflected on the privilege of living in what she considers the greatest country ever. &#8220;I\u2019ve never felt more blessed to be American&#8230; Thank you,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Karelina recently returned to America\u2014marking her as the 45th U.S. citizen freed by President Trump within just nine weeks. On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced via X that Karelina was en route back home after being wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year due to her donation to Ukrainian aid at the onset of Russia&#8217;s invasion in February 2022\u2014a gesture that led to an unjust 12-year sentence for &#8220;high treason.&#8221; Her release came about through negotiations involving Russian national Arthur Petrov.<\/p>\n<p>Karelina\u2019s case serves as a reminder of America&#8217;s privileges and injustices faced abroad; it also highlights Trump&#8217;s efforts compared to previous administrations regarding prisoner releases. Ultimately, there is gratitude that Karelina is safely back with loved ones like her fianc\u00e9 Chris van Heerden, allowing them both to begin healing from their traumatic experiences<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2422560,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Ksenia-Karelina.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6823,34982,3891,4280,3634],"class_list":["post-2422559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ballerina","tag-heartfelt-message","tag-prison","tag-russia","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Ksenia-Karelina.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2422559"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2422563,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2422559\/revisions\/2422563"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2422560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2422559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2422559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2422559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}