American held in Russia is released, US officials say

US officials confirmed the release. It appeared that the US government did not reciprocate with the release of any Russian prisoners, as it has in the past, including with professional basketball players. Brittney Grinerwho was exchanged for convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout,

A State Department spokesman indicated that Dudley had been deported from Russia, another signal that his release was not equivalent to earlier swaps and may have little bearing on the case of another US citizen in Russia, Paul Whelanwhom the Biden administration has been trying to free through a prisoner exchange.

“Generally, when a US citizen is deported, the State Department may provide assistance to help facilitate the return of the US citizen to the United States,” the spokesperson said. Like others, this person spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal procedures.

In freeing Griner, Biden faced resistance abroad and at home.

Another US official described the release as the result of consular negotiations and was unaware of any assistance from other parties.

“The US Government has no information about a role played by any outside actor in this case. The US 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 matter,” this official said.

CNN first reported Dudley’s release.

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

Dudley served briefly in the US Navy, according to military records provided by the service. He enlisted in 2007 but his tenure ended abruptly six months later, records show. He completed recruit training but left before finishing additional schooling to become a nuclear field electronics technician, according to a Navy official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Dudley’s personnel details.

It is unclear why he received an entry-level separation from the Navy, which is a discharge that occurs before a service member moves onto their job specialty.

It is plausible that Russian officials suspected Dudley possessed valuable information from his military training. His intended field focuses on electronic systems that help run nuclear reactors on Navy ships, a highly sensitive area. Dudley left after about four months of training, according to his service record, before he was able to begin a specialized nuclear power curriculum.

Alex Horton contributed to this report.