Trevor Reed, a former Marine, Fort Worth native, and UNT student, who has spent the last two-and-a-half years in a Russian prison, has made his way back home thanks to an unprecedented prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.
The deal, which saw the United States swap a convicted drug trafficker and Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, for Reed, took place April 27 and comes during a time of heightened tension between the two nations.
According to the Associated Press, “the deal would have been a notable diplomatic maneuver even in times peace.”
Reed, now 30, had traveled to Moscow in May of 2019 to take Russian lessons as part of his international studies degree program at UNT. It’s worth noting he was also visiting his girlfriend, Alina, a Russian native who he met on a dating website in 2016. Three months after arriving in Moscow, Reed was arrested after he allegedly got drunk and assaulted a police officer. According to the police reports, Reed grabbed the arm of an officer as he was being driven to the police station, causing the vehicle to swerve and endanger the lives of the officers. Reed and his family have denied the accusations, and John Sullivan, the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, has repeatedly called the claims “absurd.” Reed was subsequently sentenced to nine years in prison.
Since the arrest, Reed has made headlines after going on numerous hunger strikes in protest of his treatment in prison. His parents, Joey and Paula Reed, have also been vocal advocates, protesting in front of the White House last month that eventually led to a sit-down with President Joe Biden. This talk is what spearheaded the negotiations between the two nations.
“He listened to what we have to say,” Joey Reed told the Dallas Morning News of his meeting with Biden. “We’ve been very vocal for a long time about — we think that whatever it is they’ve been doing isn’t working. We think that it might come down to doing some sort of exchange, and he listened to all of our thoughts. We were very appreciative of him hearing us out.”
After Reed’s release, the couple gave a brief news conference in front of their Granbury home, which is adorned with American, Marine, and POW/MIA flags.
“We’re happy,” Paula said. “It’s a great day for us and for Trevor. We’re just looking forward to seeing him. Finally, after waiting all this time, I’m going to be able to hug my kid.”
As of this writing, no details have been released on Reed’s health condition or where he’s headed once in the United States.
