According to CBS, Brittney Griner the WNBA star who was held for months in Russian prisons on drug charges was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, bringing an end to an ordeal that sparked intensive high-level negotiations between the U.S. and the Kremlin to secure her freedom.
“She’s safe. She’s on a plane,” President Biden said at the White House, announcing the exchange. “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.” (via Apple News)
As you guys may know she was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis in August 2022. She was later sentenced to 9 years after being convicted, but her wife and President Biden amongst a host of others have been vocal and have fought for her release and now she’s on the way home.