SA boxer Chris van Heerden shares fight to get girlfriend freed from prison in Russia
Ksenia Karelina was convicted for 'high treason' last year after making a donation to a humanitarian group aiding victims of the Ukraine war.
Kfm 94.5's Darren, Sherlin and Sibs speak to South African boxer, Chris van Heerden.
Listen below:
The former ballerina’s arrest and conviction came amid a spike in Russian detainments of American citizens, following the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Karelina had dual American and Russian citizenship and lived in Los Angeles, but was visiting family in Russia at the time of her arrest.
However, upon arrival at the airport in Russia, Karelina was flagged for $51 of donations made in her name to a charity organisation based in America. She was detained for 16 hours, and the "nightmare" began.
Van Heerden said he found out the next day that Karelina was detained and awaiting trial when she finally made contact, and later saw videos online from news sources of Karelina's sentencing, which made his heart sink.
A Russian attorney was assigned to Karelina's case, but Van Heerden said it was a case of "no matter what you say or do, the Russians were here to make an example out of her."
At the trial, Karelina was sentenced to 12 years in prison, which was closer to a labour camp, says Van Heerden.
However, Van Heerden said he tapped into his South African spirit to fight relentlessly for the release and freedom of the woman he loves, which is why he reached out everywhere and to all media outlets to bring awareness to Karelina's story.
"She really wanted to go home... her grandparents are 90 years old, so I did buy the ticket for her to go home. I was never happy with her going because I know of the war in Ukraine and the relationship between America and Russia, but she brought up some valid points like she's a Russian citizen, she speaks the language, she's from there, there's no bombs dropping in Russia - so she convinced me, but when I waved goodbye to her, little did I know what happened next."
- Chris van Heerden, South African boxer
Now, after 15 months of Van Heerden's tireless efforts to get Karelina freed, she is back home.
Karelina's release from prison was part of a prisoner swap and Van Heerden "had no idea when it was going to happen" until he saw a picture of her on a plane in Abu Dhabi.
Van Heerden says he can "finally breathe" again" and didn't realise "how heavy the weight was" these past 15 months without Karelina.
For now, Karelina is doing well, but she's not ready to talk about what happened, says Van Heerden.
"She can't talk about it yet... she's not ready to talk about it yet. So, we've just got to be patient and wait for her to be ready."
- Chris van Heerden, South African boxer
"I can honestly say, she is doing amazing... she's the same girl I fell in love with and just way kinder, she's got a beautiful heart and she looks amazing... she's a strong woman and she inspires me."
- Chris van Heerden, South African boxer
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.