A U.S. Navy veteran who had been detained in Russia for nine months was released Thursday, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter.

Taylor Dudley, 35, of Michigan, had been held since April in the Russian province of Kaliningrad, located between Poland and Lithuania. He was released at a border crossing with Poland and was traveling to the United States with a team working for former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, according to a statement from his center, which negotiates for the release of hostages and prisoners abroad.

U.S. officials confirmed the release. It appeared that the U.S. government did not reciprocate with the release of any Russian prisoners, as it has in the past, including the case where professional basketball player Brittney Griner was exchanged for convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout.

A U.S. official described the release as the result of consular negotiations and was unaware of any role played by outside parties.

“The U.S. Government has no information about a role played by any outside actor in this case. The U.S. Government is focused on providing consular services to Americans. We are all grateful to our embassies in Moscow and Warsaw for their long-standing work on this case,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe internal negotiations.

Dudley reportedly had been attending a music festival in Poland when he was detained. It was not clear why he crossed the border into the Russian province.

CNN first reported Dudley’s release.

Copy the Story Link

Related Headlines


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: