WNBA star Brittney Griner has been released from Russian detention in a prisoner swap for convicted Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout.
The prisoner exchange was caught on camera in a surreal moment.
The athlete has been in prison for 10 months after being convicted of cannabis possession.
Bout aka “Merchant of Death” is a former Soviet military officer who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US and is charged of conspiring to kill Americans. export anti-aircraft missiles and to provide material support to a terrorist organisation.
Bout claims to be innocent.
See the prisoner exchange below:
Following the news of the athlete’s release, President Biden spoke with her on the phone.
Biden announced to the nation:
“She’s safe. She’s on a plane. She’s on her way home.
“After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones and she should have been there all along.
“This is a day we’ve worked toward for a long time. We never stopped pushing for her release.”
