Brittney Griner, an imprisoned American basketball player, was traded to Russia for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been detained in an American jail for 12 years.
According to President Joe Biden, Griner is safe and returning home from the United Arab Emirates on a plane.
“I’m glad to say Brittney’s in good spirits… she needs time and space to recover,” he said at the White House.
Russian media reported that Bout, also known as the “merchant of death,” has returned to Moscow.
“In the middle of the night they simply woke me up and said ‘Get your things together’ and that was it,” Bout said in brief remarks to a reporter from national television, after landing in Russia.
Bout allegedly hugged his mother and wife as he descended the plane’s stairs while carrying a bunch of flowers.
Griner was detained in February at a Moscow airport for having cannabis oil, and last month he was transferred to a prison camp.
In July, the Biden administration suggested a prisoner swap, knowing that Moscow had long demanded Bout’s release.
Two private aircraft flew the pair from Moscow and Washington to Abu Dhabi airport for the intricate swap, and then flew them back home.
They were seen crossing the runway with their respective teams in footage that was apparently provided by Russian security services and broadcast on state media in Russia.
“The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Brittney Griner’s wife Cherelle praised the efforts of the Biden administration in securing her release: “I’m just standing here overwhelmed with emotions.”