"Blessed to be American"

TOPSHOT – US-Russian ballet dancer Ksenia Karelina hugs her boyfriend South African boxer Chris van Heerden as she arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, following her release from Russia on April 10, 2025. Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

Home.

How often we take it for granted. “Home will always be there,” is an idiom I’ve heard over and over.

I’m sure Ksenia Karelina would beg to differ on the validity of that statement. The Russian-American dual citizen has waited a long time to hear the words “welcome home,” which she finally heard Thursday. 

Her story is a reminder for all of us who travel abroad that the world is not such a safe place. While Karelina has taken up residence in Los Angeles in recent years, she was born in Russia. Her family is still there, and she made the decision to go visit them last year. 

The next thing she knew, she was charged, convicted, and imprisoned for treason. Why? Because she donated a little over 50 bucks to a US-based charity in support of Ukraine when the war broke out. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on that. 

Bottom line, it was the US’ position she was wrongfully detained in Russia, same with other Americans in recent years like Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan. I was on the tarmac Thursday night at Joint Base Andrews when she touched down on U.S. soil. 

WATCH THE MOMENT HERE

The White House brokered a deal for her freedom and engaged in a prisoner swap with Russia that saw the U.S. hand over Arthur Petrov who was accused of who “participated in a global scheme to use shell companies from around the world to establish a clandestine procurement network and supply Russia’s military industrial complex with critical US technology,” according to a 2023 Department of Justice Press Release. 

When Karelina set foot on the tarmac, she thanked the White House for securing her freedom, but also said: “I’ve never felt more blessed to be American.” 

In that moment, I too felt the pride of being a U.S. citizen — and I was quickly reminded that home is not eternal: it can be taken away at a moment’s notice. 

I saw that firsthand in Ukraine as millions fled their homes during the Russian invasion. Many have still not returned.

The day after October 7th, 2023, I witnessed countless Israelis in the Istanbul airport begging and pleading for any way possible to get back to their homeland — not knowing if they’d have a community to return to. 

Karelina’s story is just a single move in the big geopolitical chess match the United States is playing with Russia. The ultimate objective is clear: get a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Today, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is in Russia meeting with Vladimir Putin. 

President Trump’s hope is that this release will help inch the two side closer to a deal and defrost relations even more. Will that prove true? Only time will tell.

But in the interim, right or left, red or blue, it’s a good day when an American comes home. And there’s a lesson to be learned from this:

Never take home for granted.