Russia releases U.S. Marine veteran Trevor Reed as part of prisoner exchange

Russia has released former Marine Trevor Reed in a prisoner exchange with the United States, his family and officials said Wednesday.

“Today, our prayers have been answered and Trevor is safely on his way back to the United States,” Joey, Paula, and Taylor Reed said in a statement.

They expressed Reed will “tell his own story” when he is ready before asking for privacy to address “the myriad of health issues brought on by the squalid conditions he was subjected to in his Russian gulag.”

The dramatic exchange between Russia and the U.S. unfolded Wednesday, trading Reed, who was jailed in Moscow, for convicted Russian drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2010.