Brittney Griner, a WNBA star, on Thursday hailed the release of Americans from Russian jails in a record prisoner swap.
The American basketball player, Griner, had described their releases as “a great day” to reporters during a post-match interview after the U.S. women’s basketball team defeated Belgium at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where she said that the USA was set to play in the quarterfinals.
“We’ll talk more about it later. But head over heels happy for the families right now,” said Griner, according to the Associated Press. “Any day that Americans come home, that’s a win. That’s a win.”
Griner addressed journalists many hours later than Belarus and Russia freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and Washington Post reporter Vladimir Kara-Murza, amongst others, including Russian opposition figures.
The United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, and Norway released eight Russian nationals convicted of crimes such as murder and espionage in response.
Among those released was Vadim Krasikov, who murdered a Chechen separatist fighter in Berlin in 2019 and got life imprisonment, while two citizens of Russian spies were freed by Slovenian authorities.
It is the greatest prisoner exchange since the Cold War between America and Russia. The late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died earlier this year while serving his term in a penal colony, was reported to be among those expected to be released on Thursday during the swap deal.
Sheremetyevo authorities stopped Griner in February after customs staff discovered hashish oil in her luggage. Griner was later sentenced by a Russian court to a jail term of hard labor for drug smuggling.
Griner was set free from Russian prison in December 2022 as part of a swap that involved Viktor Bout, a Russian citizen who is an arms dealer serving a 25-year prison term in the United States.
Cherelle Griner, an American who had been charged before Griner was sentenced, gave birth to a little boy the previous month.