Trevor Reed returns to the United States following prisoner exchange with Russia

Trevor Reed, an ex-marine released from a Russian prison through a prisoner exchange program, returned to the United States on Thursday following his release formalities in Russia.

This closes the chapter of Reed's agonizing ordeal, during which he was detained in Russia for 985 days. Finally, the thirty-year-old Texas resident was released as part of President Joe Biden's prisoner exchange with Russia. He commuted Konstantin Yaroshenko's (a drug dealer from Russia) sentence.

Rep. August Pfluger posed for photos with Reed shortly after arriving in the United States. He had petitioned for Reed's release and celebrated Reed's return in a tweet this Thursday.


Reed's father, Joey Reed, and his mom Paula Reed told reporters that they got a call to confirm their son’s return just as his plane flew out of Turkey on Wednesday, at about 4 in the morning.

With Reed’s return home, he has decided that health is his precedence. His father stated that he would require extensive evaluation and testing, particularly concerning tuberculosis.

Paula Reed expressed hope that the US would work to repatriate other Americans who are serving jail time in other nations.

Russian authorities arrested Reed in 2019 for assaulting an officer under the influence of alcohol. He was sent to prison for nine years, but he and his family always maintained that he was not guilty.

In addition to Reed, several other Americans are imprisoned in that country, for example, Michigan corporate security worker Paul Whelan, who was arrested under the charges of being a spy, and WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was arrested for traveling with a cannabis derivative in her luggage.