Brittney Griner: WNBA star arrives at US hospital after being released by Russia in prisoner swap

An unnamed Pentagon official said there are some concerns within the defense agency regarding the release of Viktor Bout, the “Merchant of Death” arms dealer, back into the world.

Bout was freed by the US as part of a prisoner swap to secure the release of Brittney Griner.

“I think there is a concern that he would return to doing the same kind of work that he’s done in the past,” an unnamed Defense Department official told Politico.

Read more at The Independent below.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on Friday in the wake of Brittney Griner’s release that more prisoner swaps with the US may be possible in the future.

According to the Associated Press, Mr Putin said that “everything is possible” when asked if there may be more prisoner exchanges in the future.

“We aren’t refusing to continue this work in the future,” he said.

It’s unclear what that may mean in for Paul Whelan, an American who has been locked up in Russia since 2018. The White House pushed for his release alongside Griner’s, but reports indicate Russia was not willing to release Mr Whelan.

Joe Biden said he would “never give up” trying to secure Mr Whelan’s release.

The prisoner trade that saw Brittney Griner released from Russian custody is the latest in a lengthy history of prisoner exchanges going back decades between the former Cold War adversaries.

These at-times daring transactions are often the result of intense back channel negotiations, as imprisoned citizens become pawns in a broader geopolitical war.

Brittney Griner landed back on US soil for the first time in 10 months after she was released from Russian custody in a prisoner swap with “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout.

A plane carrying the WNBA star landed at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio at around 5.30am ET on Friday morning.

Watch the moment she arrived back on US soil here.

Former Russian spy Maria Butina has claimed that the prisoner swap of Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout shows Moscow is in a “position of strength”.

On Thursday, Ms Butina celebrated the release of Bout – a convicted arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death” who was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US on a litany of charges, including conspiracy to kill Americans.

“The fact that Russia pushed through the exchange of Bout, whom America fundamentally did not want to give away for many years, right now means that, like in The Godfather, we ‘made them an offer that cannot be refused,’” she said.

“This is a position of strength, comrades.”

Ms Butina herself served 15 months in a US prison on conspiracy charges.

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has revealed that Donald Trump turned down the chance to secure Paul Whelan’s release years ago – despite the former president claiming to be outraged over the Biden administration’s deal which freed Brittney Griner but left the US marine still in Russian custody.

Mr Bolton, who was the national security adviser under Mr Trump for 17 months from 2018 to 2019, told CBS that the Trump administration had the opportunity to trade Mr Whelan for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout in 2018.

“The possibility of a Bout-for-Whelan trade existed back then and it wasn’t made, for very good reasons having to deal with Viktor Bout,” he said.

Mr Whelan, a US, Canadian, British and Irish citizen who served in the US Marines from 2003 to 2008, was arrested in Russia in December 2018.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

The Pentagon has admitted that US officials are concerned Viktor Bout will return to dealing arms following his release on Thursday.

A senior Defense Department official told Politico that the Biden administration is fearful that Bout could return to his past of illegally trafficking weapons – something that could pose a danger to America.

“I think there is a concern that [he] would return to doing the same kind of work that he’s done in the past,” the anonymous official said.

Bout is a notorous arms dealer who earned the nickname the “Merchant of Death”.

At the time of his release on Thursday, he was in the middle of a 25-year sentence in a US prison on multiple charges including conspiring to kill Americans.

Brittney Griner’s family has relased a statement thanking President Joe Biden for her release from Russian custody.

“We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to President Biden and his administration for the tireless work they did to bring Brittney home,” it reads.

“We would also like to extend a special thank you to Governor Richardson and Mickey Bergman of the Richardson Center for their work, as well as remaining in constant communication with us.”

The family went on to thank Paul Whelan and his family for their support as they hope that he too will be released soon.

“We sincerely thank you all for the kind words, thoughts and prayers — including Paul and the Whelan family who have been generous with their support for Brittney and our family during what we know is a heartbreaking time. We pray for Paul and for the swift and safe return of all wrongfully-detained Americans,” the statement read.

“We ask that you respect our privacy as we embark on this road to healing. The Griner Family”

The White House has denied claims that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman negotiated the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap for the notorious Russian arms dealer dubbed the “Merchant of Death”.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted on Thursday that – despite the prisoner exchange taking place on middle eastern soil – the only nations involved in the negotiations were the US and Russia.

“The only countries that negotiated this deal were the United States and Russia,” she said.

“There was no mediation involved.”

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Brittney Griner’s ordeal began back on 17 February when she was stopped by Russian customs officials while travelling through the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. The Phoenix Mercury star played basketball in Russia in the WNBA’s off-season.

She was carrying two cartridges for personal use containing just 0.252 grams and 0.45 grams of hash oil, according to court records.

The basektball star was taken into custody and charged with large-scale transportation of illegal narcotics – a charge that carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Her detainment was largely regarded as a political move from Moscow, coming just days before President Vladimir Putin declared a full-scale war on Ukraine.

Brittney Griner smiles on the plane as she heads back to the US

At her trial in July, Ms Griner pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison.

On 17 November, she was moved to a penal colony in Mordovia.

For the past 10 months, Ms Griner’s family and supporters had been urging the Biden administration to secure her release – before she was finally released on Thursday.