Anthony Blinken, Secretary of State, has announced his intention to contact Sergei Lavrov for the first time to try to organize a prisoner exchange between American citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.
The story of Brittney Griner, WNBA star and player in the WNBA, is well-known. She pleaded guilty in Russia to drug possession charges. She’s in court today for her sentencing hearing. Paul Whelan is less well known. Whelan, a Marine Veteran who served as security director at the auto parts manufacturer BorgWarner. Whelan was arrested in 2018 by the FSB on espionage allegations and sentenced to 16 year imprisonment.
Whelan, who was arrested, told his family (and possibly US officials) that he had been held by the Russians to exchange him for any of three prominent Russians currently in US prisons, Viktor Bout or Konstantin Yaroshenko.
Yaroshenko was convicted of conspiracy to bring over $100million in cocaine into America in 2011. He was sentenced to 20 year imprisonment. In April 2022, Yaroshenko was traded for USMC veteran Trevor Reed. Reed was already serving nine years for tuning up Russian police officers.
Seleznev, a hacker who is also the son of Russian Duma members, was convicted in 2014. In 2014, he was found guilty of 38 charges including identity theft and wire fraud in relation to a credit card scam which cost companies $169 million. He currently serves a sentence of 27 years.
CNN reported that Viktor Bout was the winner of the trade.
CNN Exclusive: Biden administration has offered Viktor Bout to be exchanged by a Russian arms trafficker convicted of violating a US 25-year sentence. This could result in the release of Brittney Griner or Paul Whelan. @kylieatwood @evanperez @jmhanslerReporting
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) July 27, 2022
Bout is an arms trader with links to Putin’s regime. In 2011, he was convicted and sentenced for conspiring to murder Americans and arming Colombian FARC guerillas. He also met with DEA agents from Thailand, whom he believed to be customers. In the past, he was mentioned in exchange for a player.
According to the Russians, Griner cannot be released until her criminal case is over. Today’s court action will possibly clear the way for that to happen.
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