Brittney Griner Released In Exchange For Russian Arms Dealer Viktor Bout

Brittney Griner's nightmare in a Russian penal colony has finally come to an end after ten months. The WNBA superstar was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to a U.S. official. 

The one-for-one swap agreement negotiated with Moscow, which has been in the works for months, was approved by President Biden within just the last week, according to sources familiar with the deal, according to CBS News. The swap took place on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates.

Five former U.S. officials told CBS News the agreement had been reached as of last Thursday.  

A White House official said President Biden was in the Oval Office Thursday morning on the phone, speaking with Griner and her wife Cherelle, and that VP  Kamala Harris was also in the room. As per standard procedure for freed U.S. prisoners, Griner is expected to quickly undergo a medical evaluation. 

Griner, the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist had been playinig for seven years on a famous Russian basketball team, was arrested exactly one week before Russia invaded Ukraine. She was later charged and sentenced to nine years in prison for possessing less than a gram of cannabis oil (legally prescribed to her in the US).

To secure Griner's release, the president ordered Bout to be freed and returned to Russia, commuting what is left of his 25-year federal prison sentence. 

Notably, the Griner-for-Bout exchange leaves  Marine Paul Whelan still imprisoned in Russia. Whelan has been in Russian custody for nearly four years. 

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