Brittney Griner has been released from Russia in a prisoner swap

Published December 8, 2022 at 8:38 AM EST
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Evgenia Novozhenina
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AFP via Getty Images
Brittney Griner inside a defendant's cage during a hearing in Moscow in August.

WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was held for months in Russian prisons on drug charges, has been released in a prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Here's what we know:

  • During a press conference, Biden said Griner was relieved to be released: “She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home."
  • Former Marine Paul Whelan, another American detained in Russia, was not included in the swap, but Biden said his team is continuing to work for his release.
  • Bout, once known as the world's most notorious arms dealer, was swapped for Griner at the Abu Dhabi airport this morning following his release from an Illinois prison.