Brittney Griner Thought Imprisoned Marine Paul Whelan Would Accompany Her When She Leaves Russia in ‘Controversial Swap’ for Arms Dealer Viktor Bout, Robin Roberts Reveals Upcoming ABC Interview With Star WNBA

Brittney Griner thought she would return to the United States with fellow Russian captive and U.S. Marine Paul Whelan when she was traded in a “controversial” prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout in 2022, revealed ABC’s Robin Roberts on Tuesday.

Giving a first look at the upcoming GMA interview, Roberts told her co-anchors that the WNBA star is addressing the trade that freed her after 10 months of captivity in Russia following her drug arrest in Moscow in February 2022.

“She said she got on the plane thinking Paul Whelan would be on that plane too,” Roberts told her co-hosts, while discussing Griner’s organization aimed at helping other Americans imprisoned abroad. “It’s called ‘Bringing Our Families Home’ to help in efforts to free other detainees. »

The interview will air May 1 as Griner prepares for her second WNBA season since her release. The 6-foot-9, 33-year-old center returned to the league last year to earn his ninth All-Star nod for the Phoenix Mercury. She and partner Cherelle recently revealed they are now expecting a baby 16 months after she was swapped for Bout in a 1-for-1 deal at an Abu Dhabi airport.

Griner had been sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia after being arrested in possession of a cartridge of cannabis oil while returning to Russia to resume playing for her European team, UMMC Ekaterinburg. And as she revealed to Roberts, Griner’s first thought after his arrest amid the growing Ukrainian-Russian conflict was: “My life is over here.” »

The 6-foot-9 Griner is seen with her legs outstretched in front of ABC’s Robin Roberts

Whelan, a former Marine accused of espionage, listens to the verdict in a courtroom in 2020

“I was so scared,” she told Roberts. “There was so much I didn’t know.”

Griner was eventually sent to the town of Yavas in Mordovia, an area known for its prison camps.

Turns out his was “one of the worst,” according to Roberts.

Griner described seeing a “huge knife” on a table in the prison camp and thinking, “I was just like, no, this is going to be a trick.” Do what you have to do to survive.

The conditions, she said, were “less than humane.”

Menstrual stains on mattresses and no soap or toilet paper were just some of the indignities she faced.

All that ended in December 2022, when she was released in a 1-for-1 exchange that has since been criticized for failing to return Whelan, a U.S. Marine imprisoned for espionage in 2018.

Griner and Bout crossed paths on a tarmac in the United Arab Emirates to finalize the exchange. Bout, nicknamed by some the “dealer of death”, was arrested for terrorism in 2008, then convicted in the United States.

Bout, nicknamed by some the “merchant of death”, was arrested on terrorism charges in 2008.

Brittney Griner crosses the tarmac in Abu Dhabi after being traded for Viktor Bout

The deal drew criticism from Republicans, who were upset that the White House also failed to secure Whelan. In response to right-wing attacks, White House officials acknowledged that prisoner swaps were costly, adding that they felt obligated to bring Griner home while they had the chance.

With his new book, Griner hopes to help raise awareness for other Americans detained overseas, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in 2023 for alleged espionage, as well as Whelan.

Whelan’s brother said in 2022 that he feared his brother would never be returned, although he stressed that he supported the Biden administration’s deal to bring Griner home.

“I think we all realize that the math is not going to work out for Paul to come home anytime soon unless the U.S. government can find some concessions,” David Whelan said. “And so I think we’re not really sure which way forward.”