Former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed has officially been let go from a Russian prison through a program that exchanged him for a convicted Russian drug trafficker. Reed has been stuck behind Russian bars since 2019.
The release of this veteran comes as a surprise deal, happening as Russian invasion forces continue to rage through Ukraine in a war that sparked off on the 24th of February.
“Today, we welcome home Trevor Reed and celebrate his return to the family that missed him dearly. Trevor, a former U.S. Marine, is free from Russian detention,” stated President Joe Biden in a recent release.
“I heard in the voices of Trevor’s parents how much they’ve worried about his health and missed his presence. And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor’s freedom,” he continued.
these statements from Old Uncle Joe seem to highlight the efforts that were led by U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation John Sullivan, the nation’s Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, and quite a few others that ensured the safe return of Reed.
“The negotiations that allowed us to bring Trevor home required difficult decisions that I do not take lightly. His safe return is a testament to the priority my Administration places on bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad,” stated Biden.
Reed’s parents were overjoyed upon hearing the news of their son’s release from the horrid Russian prison.
“Today, our prayers have been answered and Trevor is safely on his way back to the United States,” claimed his family in a released statement.
Reed was sentenced to a stint of nine years in prison back in July of 2020 for a charge of “endangering” Russian police officials after a night out drinking in Moscow back in 2019, as reported by The Washington Post. These allegations still stand denied by the former Marine.
“In recent weeks, Reed’s family and U.S. lawmakers have renewed calls for his release as his parents said his health was worsening. U.S. lawmakers and diplomats have denounced his sentence, and the ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, described the evidence used to convict Reed as ‘ridiculous,‘” reported The Washington Post.
Just a short two weeks ago, an appeal from Reed was shot down and dropped to a lower court. “Only two weeks ago a Russian court dismissed Reed’s legal appeal against his conviction and prison sentence and sent the case down to a lower court. The decision was lamented by U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan, who said at the time that Reed ‘remains in prison for a crime he didn’t commit,'” read a report from CBS News.
The person being exchanged, a Russian drug trafficker named Konstantin Yaroshenko, was serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of smuggling well over $100 million worth of pure cocaine into the United States.
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