Biden administration releases notorious arms dealer in high-profile prisoner swap

The United States has agreed to a prisoner swap with Russia, releasing notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan.

The swap, which was announced by the Biden administration on Thursday, is a major diplomatic breakthrough and a significant victory for the United States, which has been pushing for the release of Griner and Whelan for months.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was arrested in Russia in February after customs officials at an airport near Moscow found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage. She was sentenced to nine years in prison in August on drug charges.

Whelan, a former US Marine, was arrested in Russia in 2018 and accused of spying. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.

The release of Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death," is a concession that the Biden administration made in order to secure the release of Griner and Whelan. Bout has been serving a 25-year sentence in a US prison since 2010 for his role in a plot to sell weapons to Colombian rebels.

The prisoner swap is a significant moment in US-Russia relations, which have been strained in recent years over a number of issues, including the war in Ukraine.