Brittney Griner freed from Russian prison in exchange for Viktor Bout

The US basketball star has been released in a prisoner swap with Russia and is on her way back to the United States, president Joe Biden said on Thursday. The Russian foreign ministry said it traded Griner for Russian citizen Bout, a former arms dealer. The swap took place at an airport in Abu Dhabi, Russian news agencies said. Griner, 32, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was arrested on 17 February. Talks to secure her release were complicated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February and the subsequent souring of ties between Washington and Moscow.