Russia frees WNBA star Brittney Griner in prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout

Russia has freed WNBA star Brittney Griner is a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The swap comes at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine and it achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden. But it also carried a heavy price, with American Paul Whelan still detained in Russia on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government says baseless. Biden says Griner is “safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home.”