Brittney Griner returns to US after prisoner swap with Russia
Brittney Griner has returned to the United States after being freed in a prisoner swap with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the 'Merchant of Death'.
Brittney Griner has arrived back in the United States after being freed in a prisoner swap with the 'Merchant of Death' Viktor Bout.
The basketball star was jailed in February for carrying cannabis oil at an airport in Moscow but has returned to the US after being exchanged for the Russian arms dealer on Thursday (08.12.22), with the pair seen crossing paths on the tarmac at Abu Dhabi airport.
Griner was flown to San Antonio and is being offered medical care following her time in a Russian prison.
The WNBA star is one of the best-known sportswomen in America and helped the US win gold medals in women's basketball at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Griner was arrested just days before Russia invaded Ukraine and claimed during her trial that the cannabis oil found in her bag had been an "honest mistake".
US president Joe Biden hailed her release as he made a formal announcement at the White House.
The politician said: "Moments ago, standing together with her wife Cherelle in the Oval Office, I spoke with Brittney Griner.
"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."
