One day after news broke that a Los Angeles woman was detained in Russia, the woman's boyfriend is speaking up on her behalf.
Chris Van Heerden has been dating 33-year-old Ksenia Karelina for about six months.
“We spent the last six months like basically living together,” Van Heerden said. “She’s just so sweet, everyone loves her. She’s funny, she’s happy, she’s full of life.”
Karelina is a former ballerina turned esthetician in Beverly Hills. The couple spent Christmas together in Los Angeles and New Year’s together in Istanbul.
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“We had four magical days in Istanbul, not a worry in the world,” Van Heerden said. “She had not a worry in the world. She had no idea what was waiting for her.”
On Jan. 2, Van Heerden flew back to LA and Karelina flew to Russia to visit family, specifically her 90-year-old grandmother.
“She was like, 'I’m going to be fine, it’s good. I’m Russian, I’m good,'” he said. “This is also eating away at me a little bit because I bought that plane ticket.”
She faced problems right when she arrived. According to the woman's boyfriend, Karelina was detained at the airport. She was eventually released but authorities kept her cell phone.
Russian authorities accused Karelina of treason and supporting the Kyiv regime. According to a statement by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the woman is suspected of "providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of our country."
“She phoned me from her mother’s phone and told me that she got detained for I don’t know what, but we’ll communicate through mom’s phone,” he said.
So for three weeks, they talked on her mom’s phone until Jan. 27 – two days before her return flight to America.
“She said 'I’m going to go, in a few hours. I’m going to go pick up my phone,'” Van Heerden said. “And it was nighttime here so I said, ‘I’ll speak to you in a couple hours because I’m going to go to bed’, and then that was the last we spoke.”
A State Department spokesperson warned it may be difficult to help Karelina, who is a dual Russian-American citizen.
“Russia has not recognized dual citizenship; considers them to be Russian citizens first and foremost,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said. “And so, oftentimes, we have a difficult time getting consular assistance. But we will pursue it in all matters where US citizens is detained.”
Van Heerden’s known about Karelina’s detention for nearly a month, but now he’s speaking publicly for the first time.
“Bring her back, she’s just a normal person,” he said. “She needs to be with her friends and family.”
Video released by FSB showed a person in a coat and stocking hat, partially covering her face, being handcuffed and led to a vehicle by a person wearing a camouflage jacket.
Professionally he’s a boxer, known as a bit of a tough guy.
“Yeah I’m a tough guy when I step in the ring,” he said. “But I’m honestly more of a romantic.”
But right now, he’s hurting, hoping his girlfriend makes it back home safe.
“It’s hard to enjoy anything right now, knowing I have freedom and she doesn’t,” Van Heerden said.
