American Trevor Reed released from Russia in prisoner swap

American Trevor Reed, a US citizen and former Marine who had been detained in Russia since 2019, has been released in a prisoner swap.

The release ends a nearly three-year ordeal for Reed, who was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020 for endangering the "life and health" of Russian police officers in an altercation. Reed and his family have denied the charges against him.

Reed's release will not impact the US approach to the war in Ukraine, senior administration officials said.

"I'm going to try not to cry, because he doesn't want me to cry," Reed's mother, Paula, told CNN's Brianna Keilar on "New Day" Wednesday. "Obviously, I'm going to cry a little bit, give him a big hug, and just, you know, give him hugs and it will be the four of us together again (for the first time) in a few years, so it's going to be great."

Reed's release is part of a prisoner swap for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her official Telegram channel. Yaroshenko was convicted of drug smuggling in 2011 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He has denied the charges against him.