Brittney Griner Released From Russian Prison

Brittney Griner is finally home!

The WNBA star who was held at a Russian prison for months on a drug charge was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout. This also brought an end to an ordeal that sparked intensive high-level negotiations between the U.S. and the Kremlin to secure her freedom.

Griner, a 32-year-old star center for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was detained at a Russian airport in February and later pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the discovery of cannabis-derived oil cartridges in her luggage. Griner said she didn’t mean to bring the cartridges with her when she traveled to the country to play in a Russian basketball league during the WNBA offseason. 

According to President Joe Biden, he spoke to Griner by phone from the Oval Office, where he was joined by Griner’s wife Cherelle, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“She’s safe. She’s on a plane. She’s on her way home,” President Biden said at the White House, announcing the exchange. “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.”

According to U.S. officials, the swap took place in the United Arab Emirates. Five former U.S. officials told CBS News the agreement had been reached as of last Thursday.  

She was expected to quickly undergo a medical evaluation, a standard procedure.

To secure Griner’s release, the president ordered Bout to be freed and returned to Russia. Mr. Biden signed the commutation order cutting short Bout’s 25-year federal prison sentence. 

Griner’s return for Bout marks the Biden administration’s second prisoner swap with Russia.

Welcome home, Brittney Griner.