US basketball star Brittney Griner released in Russia prisoner swap with 'Merchant of Death'
US basketball star Brittney Griner was released from a Russian prison on Thursday in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange with an arms dealer nicknamed the "Merchant of Death".
American officials said two-time Olympic gold medalist Griner was swapped with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden, but carried a heavy price — and left behind an American jailed for nearly four years in Russia.
The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad. Griner was imprisoned on drug charges, and brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.
Biden's authorisation to release Bout underscored the escalating pressure that his administration faced to get Griner home, particularly after the recent resolution of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.
The swap was confirmed by US officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations who were not authorized to publicly discuss the deal before a White House announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Russian and US officials had conveyed cautious optimism in recent weeks after months of strained negotiations, with Biden saying in November that he was hopeful that Russia would engage in a deal now that the midterm elections were completed. A top Russian official said last week that a deal was possible before the year's end.
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