Russian Pilot Incarcerated at FCI Danbury Exchanged for Former Marine Jailed In Russia

In 2020, former Marine Trevor Reed was visiting his girlfriend in Moscow when an unfortunate incident allegedly occurred that Reed had no recollection of. As a result, Russian police officers accused Reed of being drunk and disorderly, which Reed said never happened.

According to the Washington Post, he was given a nine-year prison sentence in 2020 for endangering the “life and health” of Russian police officers. However, Reed claims he did no wrong and sees his case as "clearly political."

The Russian prisoner is a 53-year-old former pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, imprisoned at Danbury's Federal Correctional Institution for conspiring to smuggle more than $100 million worth of cocaine into the U.S. He was arrested in Liberia in May 2010. The exchange took place in Turkey on Wednesday.

President Biden and his team have negotiated with Russian officials for months to free Reed. However, the Washington Post reports that these negotiations had nothing to do with the Russian/Ukraine conflict.

According to the website newsglory.com, in early September of 2021, Russian diplomats traveled to Danbury's FCI to visit Yaroshenko, who had been complaining about the lack of medical attention and requested that he be released for medical reasons.

Trevor Reed grew up in California, and in 2011, he enlisted in the Marines as an infantryman. During Obama's administration, Reed was a part of the Marine Presidential Guard at Camp David.

In 2019, Reed was visiting his girlfriend, Lina Tysbulnik, in Russia when he was arrested in Moscow for being intoxicated and grabbing the arm of a Russian officer. Reed claims that the entire story was fabricated.