Brittney Griner updates: WNBA star reunites with wife

Brittney Griner was swapped for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

ByJustin Fishel, Mark Osborne, Emily Shapiro, Patricio Chile, and Jon Haworth
Last Updated: December 16, 2022, 10:46 AM EST

The U.S. has swapped WNBA star Brittney Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to a senior U.S. official.

The basketball star was taken into custody at a Moscow area airport in February in possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia.

Griner pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced to nine years in prison on Aug. 7. She appealed the sentence, but was quickly rejected in October.

Key headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Dec 08, 2022, 8:45 AM EST

Lavrov confirms swap, Putin pardoned Griner

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Griner was released and the prisoner exchange was carried out at Abu Dhabi Airport.

"For a long time, the Russian Federation has been negotiating with the United States on the release of V.A. Bout," Lavrov said in a statement. "Washington categorically refused to engage in dialogue on the inclusion of the Russian in the exchange scheme. Nevertheless, the Russian Federation continued to actively work to rescue our compatriot."

"As a result of the efforts made, it was possible to agree with the American side on the organization of the exchange of V.A.Bout for B. Griner," he continued.

PHOTO: Viktor Bout, left, a suspected Russian arms dealer at the criminal court in Bangkok, on Aug. 20, 2010 and WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner, right, in a court room prior to a hearing, in Khimki, Russia, on July 27, 2022.
Viktor Bout, left, a suspected Russian arms dealer at the criminal court in Bangkok, on Aug. 20, 2010 and WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner, right, in a court room prior to a hearing, in Khimki, Russia, on July 27, 2022. Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Dec. 8, 2022 in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange for Viktor Bout.
Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP, FILE

The U.S. has said for months it had offered Bout as part of a prisoner swap for Griner and Russian detained ex-Marine Paul Whelan.

Ombudsman of the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova said Putin pardoned Griner before her release in the swap and she and Bout "should not serve the rest of their sentences in their respective countries."

-ABC News' Tanya Stukalova

Dec 08, 2022, 8:34 AM EST

Who is Viktor Bout?

Griner has been swapped for the convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to a senior U.S. official.

Bout was arguably the world’s best-known illegal arms trafficker and his capture in 2008 at a hotel in Thailand came at the end of a nearly decadelong hunt by the U.S.

Suspected Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout, center, is led by armed Thai police commandos as he arrives at the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand in Oct. 5, 2010.
Apichart Weerawong/AP, FILE

Bout, 55, emerged as a kingpin in the global illegal arms trade during the 1990s, accused of fueling some of the world’s bloodiest conflicts, particularly in Africa. Sourcing weapons from the huge stockpiles of the collapsed Soviet Union, the Russian used a fleet of Soviet-built transport aircraft to supply vast quantities of arm, often circumventing international embargoes.

Read more about Bout's history, here.

-ABC News' Patrick Reevell

Dec 08, 2022, 8:27 AM EST

Biden speaks to Griner aboard plane

President Joe Biden shared a photo of himself talking on the phone to Brittney Griner from the White House, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she was on a plane, safe and headed home.

He is also shown hugging Cherelle Griner, Brittney's wife.

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