OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) - Russia and the United States have exchanged prisoners. A senior U.S. official and the Russian foreign ministry say Russia released a Marine veteran jailed in Moscow while the U.S. released a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a prison sentence in Connecticut.
Wednesday's surprise exchange was done as Russia’s war with Ukraine has driven relations with the U.S. to their lowest point in decades. Russia gave up Trevor Reed, a Marine from Texas arrested in 2019 after Russian authorities said he assaulted an officer.
Reed's parents had complained about his treatment and recently, feared he had active symptoms of tuberculosis, including coughing up blood, fevers, and abdominal pain for months. In late March, they protested outside the White House, prompting a 40-minute meeting with President Biden. Afterward, they told ABC 10News, "We believe he'll make something happen."
The parents of Reed said they saw a video of his release shortly after Wednesday's announcement.
“He looks terrible to us; as his parents, we know he does not look well,” his mother told reporters. “He is very thin.”
“He was walking strange,” his father added.
The U.S. agreed to return Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot who'd been serving a 20-year sentence for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. Reed's family thanked President Joe Biden.
"Today, we welcome home Trevor Reed and celebrate his return to the family that missed him dearly," Biden said in a statement. "Trevor, a former U.S. Marine, is free from Russian detention. 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."
