LOS ANGELES — It’s been seven months since Moscow’s arrest of Ksenia Karelina, a 33-year-old Los Angeles woman who holds both U.S. and Russian citizenship.
On Friday, Karelina’s boyfriend shared his disappointment and heartache with ABC News Live after she was not part of landmark prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia that included the release of journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan.
Chris Van Heerden said he was under the impression there wouldn’t be a prisoner swap until after the election or early next year.
“All this time I was calm, and I knew what to expect, so waking up yesterday morning with the news of a prisoner swap took me by storm,” Van Heerden said. “It took me off guard. I was emotional, angry, frustrated.”
Karelina, who worked at a spa in Beverly Hills, remains in Russian custody. She was arrested in January while visiting family in Russia and charged with treason after interrogators discovered a $51 donation made to a charity supporting Ukraine.
Van Heerden said he’s worried about her condition as she sits behind bars.
“We have not yet made contact with her – no U.S. officials, the embassy, no one – because Russia is not allowing it,” he said.
Russia doesn’t typically swap political prisoners until they’ve gone through the legal system.
Karelina’s trial is scheduled for late next week in Russia. If convicted, she faces 20 years in prison.
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