Bout-Griner swap doesn't mean US-Russia relations are improving, Kremlin says
From CNN’s Anna Chernova
In this handout video grab released by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), US basketball player Brittney Griner walks to board a plane prior to her departure in Moscow, Russia, on December 8. (Sputnik/AP)
The exchange of WNBA star Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is not a sign of improvements in the relations between Russia and the United States, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
"The (Russia-US) negotiations dealt exclusively with the topic of the exchange," Peskov told the Russian newspaper Izvestia.
"It would be wrong to draw any hypothetical conclusions that this could be a step out of the crisis that we are having in bilateral relations. Bilateral relations remain in a sorry state," he added.
Peskov said the Kremlin wished Bout a "speedy rehabilitation" and said that the released prisoner is "well, but the doctors have yet to determine how healthy he is."
Meanwhile, Bout’s wife Alla told state news agency TASS on Friday that he is "exhausted" and in a "terrible state."
"Viktor Anatolyevich (Bout) is in a terrible state, he is very exhausted. He had not slept for three days before that. This is due to the road, of course, and to the emotional component," she said, adding that he was "treated very honorably, with respect" by the United States.
6:36 a.m. ET, December 9, 2022
The Biden administration is confident that talks to free Paul Whalen will continue, a source says
From CNN's Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler in Washington
Paul Whelan stands inside a defendants' cage during a hearing at a court in Moscow, Russia, on August 23, 2019. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)
The Biden administration believes the Russian government will continue to engage with the United States on the issue of Russian and US nationals detained in each others' country, a senior administration official told CNN.
Moscow knows that the two sides will reach "a mutually acceptable arrangement if they keep talking to us," the official said.
The official's comments came as Brittney Griner was exchanged for Viktor Bout. Griner, a WNBA basketball player, was imprisoned in Russia and convicted of drug smuggling after being caught with less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage earlier this year. Bout, a convicted arms dealer, was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US on charges of conspiring to kill Americans.
Another American, Paul Whelan, remains in Russian custody. Whelan, a former marine who is a US, Irish, British and Canadian citizen, was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 by Russian authorities who alleged he was involved in an intelligence operation. He was convicted and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in prison in a trial US officials denounced as unfair.
"We have shown an openness to talk about that which is actually available to us and gotten only in response a demand for something not available to us," the senior Biden administration official said, reiterating that the Russians refused what had been offered to secure the release of Whelan.
CNN previously reported that convicted Russian murderer Vadim Krasikov, who is in German custody, was one of Moscow’s requests, and the official did not rule out that his release had been a continued request.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Whelan said he was happy that Griner was released but was "greatly disappointed" that more had not been done to secure his release.
War-related demands: Demands related to the war in Ukraine, however, did not come up in the negotiations to secure Griner’s release and attempt to secure Whelan’s, the official said, adding that the US would not makes concessions on that front.
"We've obviously thought about why that might be the case" that the Russians didn’t float it, the official said, "and I think we credit it to the fact that we’ve been so crystal clear, so consistent, that it is not for us to negotiate how that horrific situation gets resolved."
"If it were raised, of course, it is not for bargaining. Another country’s future is not for bargaining and the defense of democracy against autocracy is not for bargaining," the official said.
9:40 a.m. ET, December 9, 2022
Pope Francis breaks down in tears while discussing the Ukraine war at a public prayer
From CNN’s Valentina Di Donato in Rome and Allegra Goodwin in London
Pope Francis is emotional after he recited a prayer on behalf of the Ukrainian people, during a traditional visit to the statue dedicated to the Immaculate Conception near Piazza di Spagna in central Rome, Italy, on December 8. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis broke down in tears on Thursday while talking about the war in Ukraine during an annual prayer at Rome’s Spanish steps to mark the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a national holiday in Italy.
The Pope’s voice cracked as he mentioned the suffering of the Ukrainian people and he trembled as he was forced to stop for around 30 seconds.
I would have liked to have brought to you today the thanksgiving of the Ukrainian people for the peace we have long been asking the Lord for," Francis said.
"Instead, I still have to present to you the supplication of the children, of the elderly, of the fathers and mothers, of the young people of that tormented land."
Watch moment:
6:16 a.m. ET, December 9, 2022
Griner's first stop expected to be at medical treatment facility
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler in Washington
Brittney Griner gets out of a plane after landing at the JBSA-Kelly Field Annex runway on December 9, in San Antonio, Texas. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images)
Brittney Griner's first stop back on US soil will likely be at a medical treatment facility, according to John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council.
Griner could also to take part in a Department of Defense Program known as PISA (Post Isolation Support Activities) to help her acclimate back to normal life.
Americans detained abroad, like Marine Corps veteran Trevor Reed and the seven Americans who returned from Venezuela in October, also participated in PISA.
Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, who traveled with Griner, confirmed her arrival early Friday morning on Twitter.
6:05 a.m. ET, December 9, 2022
UK slaps new sanctions on alleged human rights violators from Russia
From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin in London
Britain on Friday announced new sanctions against 30 people around the world it alleged were "corrupt political figures, human rights violators and perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence."
Those targeted include "individuals and entities involved in a wide range of grievous activities – including the torture of prisoners, the mobilization of troops to rape civilians, and systematic atrocities," the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.
The move was coordinated with international partners to mark International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day.
Several individuals from Russia and Crimea, which the Kremlin annexed in violation of international law in 2014, were targeted. They will not be permitted to enter the UK, channel money through its banks, or profit from its economy.
5:46 a.m. ET, December 9, 2022
BREAKING NEWS: Brittney Griner is on US soil
From CNN's Tina Burnside
The plane carrying Brittney Griner arrives at San Antonio's Kelly Field on December 9. (CNN)
A plane carrying WNBA star Brittney Griner arrived at San Antonio's Kelly Field, in Texas, early Friday, a day after she was released from Russian detention.
Griner spent 10 months behind bars in Russia before being released in a high-profile prisoner swap that involved convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
In February, authorities in a Moscow-area airport found Griner with less than a gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. She was later convicted of drug smuggling charges and sentenced to nine years in prison. In November, she was transferred to a penal colony to serve out her sentence.
5:23 a.m. ET, December 9, 2022
Donetsk remains the focus of enemy attacks, Ukraine's armed forces say
From CNN's Maria Kostenko in Kyiv, Ukraine
Firefighters work to put out a fire at a residential building hit by a Russian military strike in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on December 7. (Yevhen Titov/Reuters)
The eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk remains the focus of Russian attacks, particularly Avdiivka and Bakhmut, a Ukrainian Armed Forces spokesman said.
In Bakhmut the situation is "difficult but controlled," press officer Serhii Cherevatyi of the eastern division of the Ukrainian military said.
The head of the regional military administration of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said five people were killed in the region on Wednesday.
Ukrainian military officials said in their daily update that 25 "localities" near Avdiivka and Bakhmut had been targeting by shelling, mortars and rocket artillery.
5:17 a.m. ET, December 9, 2022
Ukraine is a "human rights emergency," UN rights chief says
From CNN’s Zahid Mahmood in London
High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a press conference at the UN Offices in Geneva, Switzerland, on December 9. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)
Ukraine is a "human rights emergency," United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday.
"You have 17.7 million in need of humanitarian assistance; you have 9.3 million requiring food and livelihood assistance," Turk said at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland. "You have about 7.4 million refugees, you have 6.5 million people internally displaced."
Turk said the country is "suffering" from not only continued missile attacks but from destroyed civilian infrastructure.
"The energy sector is heavily affected, the heating system, the electricity grid, there are people who live in sub-zero temperatures without heating, and without electricity," he said.
"There are these blackouts, so you can imagine these are millions of people who suffer this every day."
On Monday, Russia launched a fresh barrage of missiles toward Ukraine, cutting off water and electricity supplies in some areas and killing at least one person in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih and at least two people in Zaporizhzhia, according to local authorities.
3:05 a.m. ET, December 9, 2022
Kherson hospital hit by Russian shelling, official says
From CNN's Teele Rebane
A hospital in Kherson city was hit by Russian shelling on Friday morning, Yaroslav Yanushevysh, head of the Kherson region military administration, said in a Telegram post.
The pediatric ward and morgue were damaged in the shelling, according to Yanushevysh. No injuries or casualties have been recorded so far.
On Wednesday, two people died after Kherson was shelled 51 times, according to Yanushevysh, who said Russians had “fired at peaceful settlements of the region with artillery, MLRS, tanks and mortars.”
Some context: Last month, Russian troops withdrew from Kherson city after having occupied it for eight months, in a humiliating setback. But Russia still retains control of much of the broader Kherson region.
