Brittney Griner, a star player in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), reportedly released by Russian authorities on Thursday as part of a spectacular and high-level prisoner exchange. In return, the United States released notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
When tensions were high in Ukraine, Joe Biden was able to reach one of his primary goals through the swap. However, it came at a high cost: an American jailed in Russia for almost four years. Follow our website, Newsyblogy, for the latest updates!!!!!
The agreement reached with Russia within the past eight months, which the second of its kind, led to the release of the most notable American citizen who being held in custody overseas. Brittney Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose lengthy incarceration on drug accusations brought unparalleled attention to the community of wrongful detainees. The charges against Brittney Griner stemmed from his alleged possession of marijuana. Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, has jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government think are false.
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Biden’s authorization to release a Russian felon who was once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death” underscored the increasing pressure that his administration faced to get Griner back home, particularly in light of the recent conclusion of her criminal case and the subsequent transfer to a penal colony as a result of that resolution.
U.S. officials who had direct knowledge of the negotiations and spoke on the condition of anonymity to confirm the swap did so because they not permitted to discuss the deal publicly before an announcement by the White House and because they spoke on the condition of anonymity.