RUSSIA, United Arab Emirates – Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) released footage of the prisoner swap of WNBA basketball player Brittney Griner and arms dealer Viktor Bout between Russia and the United States on Thursday, December 8, according to Russian state media.
The footage first shows photos and images of Griner inside the prison, working and eating. A timestamp on the footage indicates it was recorded in late November. However, Storyful has not independently verified the date of the recording.
Griner is then shown exiting the prison, entering a prison-service vehicle, and boarding a Russian government plane.
The flight then landed at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where Griner was swapped with Bout, an international arms dealer who had been serving a 25-year sentence at a penitentiary in Illinois.
In February, the Russian Customs Service detained Griner at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, alleging that she was in possession of vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.