American Trevor Reed freed from Russia in prisoner swap arranged by Biden administration

American Trevor Reed, who had been detained in Russia since 2019, was released back to the United States this week in a prisoner exchange arranged by the Biden administration with the Kremlin.

Reed was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison colony in 2020 for endangering Russian law enforcement officers when he allegedly assaulted them in a drunken state while visiting his girlfriend, who lived in Russia.

Video of the incident showed the event unfolded very differently than Russian law enforcement said it did, but Reed was convicted and sentenced anyway.

While President Joe Biden says he brought up the idea of a prisoner exchange with the Kremlin “three months ago,” United States officials say the negotiation of Reed’s release was sped up recently due to reports of Reed’s declining health. Reed had went on a hunger strike in late 2021 and again in March this year in protest of what he called violations of his rights. He had been in solitary confinement for refusing to do labor at the prison camp, according to Reed’s family.

Reed was released back into US custody on Wednesday in exchange for releasing Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko from the United States into Russian custody. Yaroshenko had been detained in the United States for conspiring to smuggle over $100 million in cocaine into the United States.

“It’s been (a) very exciting day for the Reed family,” Paula Reed tweeted. “Trevor is back in the USA.”