In the images of the exchange, which seems straight out of the Cold War, the sportswoman appears with her hair cropped, without her usual long dreadlocks.
“A few moments ago I spoke with Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way to the United States”US President Joe Biden said earlier in a brief address at the White House.
The basketball player is expected overnight from Thursday to Friday in the United States. She has “bon moral” despite “trauma” endured, added the American president.
In a statement, Brittney Griner’s family said: “We would like to express our sincere gratitude to President Biden and his administration for the tireless work they have done to bring Brittney home.”
“Relief”
In another video broadcast by the pro-Kremlin channel RT, we see Brittney Griner leaving her penal colony bags in hand. A guard asks him in Russian “Do you think you’ll ever come back here?”.
FSB footage shows her boarding a plane in the snow, then securing from the cabin being “happy”making it clear that she did not know where she was being led.
In the United States, the wife of the basketball player, Cherelle Griner said to herself “overwhelmed by emotions”.
“Not a day in the past 10 months that we haven’t held Brittney Griner in our hearts and thoughts.”said the commissioner of the American professional league of women’s basketball (WNBA), Cathy Engelbert, who also implied that the basketball player would land in Texas.
Saudi Arabia also participated in the exchange procedure, according to a joint statement with the United Arab Emirates, specifying that “mediation has been conducted” by the President of the Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed and by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Joe Biden thanked Abu Dhabi but the White House still qualified his role as well as that of Saudi Arabia.
“The only countries that participated in the negotiations are the United States and Russia”said US executive spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre.
A senior US official said talks with Moscow remained focused on Brittney Griner’s release, and the US has made this known to Ukraine and other allies.
Paul Whelan “strongly disappointed”
Another American detained in Russia, former serviceman Paul Whelan, was not included in the exchange. “Even though we failed to secure Paul’s release, we will never give up”assured Joe Biden.
In a call with CNN from his penal colony in Russia, Paul Whelan said he was “strongly disappointed”. “I don’t understand why I’m still here”did he declare.
In a statement, his family said “happy” for Mrs. Griner but “still devastated” to know Paul Whelan in a Russian prison.
Arrested in December 2018 in Russia, he was sentenced to sixteen years in prison for “spying”a conviction he denounced as fabricated.
A re(lire) : Who is Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who operated from Africa?
“Merchant of Death”
Brittney Griner, a 32-year-old African-American sportswoman and two-time Olympic champion, was arrested in February at a Moscow airport with a vape and liquid containing cannabis, a product banned in Russia.
In August, she was sentenced to nine years in prison and then, after her appeal was rejected, was transferred in November to a penal colony in central Russia.
His supporters have always denounced a hostage-taking to haggle with Washington in the midst of the conflict in Ukraine.
The name of Viktor Bout had been mentioned in the summer. Famous Russian arms trafficker, arrested in Thailand in 2008, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in the United States.
Viktor Bout landed in Russia on Thursday, according to a Russian public television channel. “Don’t worry, everything is fine, I love you very much”, he said to his mother, Raïssa Bout, when he arrived in his country. He found his relatives a few hours later in Moscow.
nicknamed the “merchant of death”his extraordinary career served as inspiration for the film “Lord of War” with Nicolas Cage.
Speaking to Viktor Bout in a video message, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said he was aware that the arms dealer had been subjected to “powerful physical and moral pressures” while in prison in the United States, Russian news agency TASS reported.
“And you endured this with dignity”he added, saying that Moscow was “sincerely delighted that Russia’s efforts for your release have finally been successful.”
Americans and Russians accuse each other of detaining their respective nationals for political purposes. Several prisoner exchanges have taken place in the past.