(NewsNation) — The boyfriend of a Los Angeles woman who is being detained in Russia on charges of treason says he “had a bad feeling” prior to his girlfriend’s arrest.
“I said, ‘There’s a war going on. I don’t think it’s a good idea,'” Chris van Heerden said during an appearance on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “She convinced me that she’s safe, and she’s Russian. And her hometown is very far away from everything.”
Van Heerden said he and his girlfriend of six months traveled to Turkey together before she continued on to Russia to visit family, but she was detained at the airport.
Ksenia Karelina is a dual U.S.-Russian citizen who came to the U.S. to study ballet and received U.S. citizenship when she married an American. The couple later divorced, and Karelina was recently working at the Ciel Spa in Los Angeles.
Van Heerden said he hopes Karelina will at least be put on house arrest, but the “odds aren’t good.”
Karelina was in Russia to visit her family, something she did once a year, according to her employer. In January, she flew to Russia from Istanbul for a planned two-week trip.
Her boss, Isabella Koretz, said she started to worry when Karelina didn’t return her calls and then panicked when she didn’t return as planned.
Russia’s Federal Security Service said Karelina was supporting Ukraine by raising money for a Ukrainian organization that used funds to purchase tactical equipment and weapons and that she took public actions in support of Kyiv.
Koretz said the money Karelina donated was for humanitarian causes and disaster relief.
Karelina is currently being detained as a “preventative measure” during the investigation. If convicted of treason, she could face up to 20 years in a Russian prison.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the White House and the State Department were aware of reports of the arrest and added that “we are trying to get more information and to secure some consular access to that individual.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
