# The Russian-American woman Ksenia Karelina’s South African boyfriend Chris van Heerden, has thanked president Donald Trump for his role in her release. Karelina served a 12-year prison sentence for treason in Russia and was released as part of a prisoner exchange between the US and Russia. Van Heerden is a former boxing champion and Karelina’s case was escalated by film director Peter Berg, and Ultimate Fighting Championship chief executive Dana White, who shared it with Trump. According to sources this made the case personal for Trump who then made it a priority.
SA boyfriend of Ksenia Karelina grateful to Trump for negotiating her release