Russian-American tensions are on the rise due to a clandestine prisoner exchange. Kalob Byers, a 28-year-old American recently detained in Russia, has been released after spending several days in custody, as confirmed by a senior official from the Trump administration. Byers, who was apprehended at a Russian airport ten days ago, was set free just hours before high-level discussions between US and Russian representatives regarding the conflict in Ukraine were scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia. According to earlier reports from the Associated Press, Byers was taken into custody on February 7 at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after customs officials allegedly discovered cannabis-infused marmalade in his luggage. Reports indicate that Byers had traveled from Istanbul with his Russian fiancée, who was also detained. Authorities accused him of attempting to smuggle a substantial quantity of drugs into the country, resulting in his arrest on charges of drug trafficking, an offense punishable by up to ten years in prison. Byers has since been released from detention and is currently sheltered at the US Embassy in Moscow, awaiting arrangements for his return home, as reported by Russian independent news source Meduza on Monday, citing a social media post by his parents. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, confirmed to the Associated Press that Byers had been transferred to the embassy late on Sunday night. In response to inquiries about Byers, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday that Moscow anticipates discussing the restoration of the entire spectrum of Russian-American relations during the upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, suggesting that recent events could be viewed within this context. The status of Byers’ fiancée, identified in Russian media as Naida Mambetova and reportedly held in pretrial detention on similar charges, remains uncertain. Byers’ release follows closely after that of Marc Fogel, an American educator detained in Russia for over three years. Fogel, too, faced drug-related allegations, having been arrested in August 2021 at a Moscow airport for possessing cannabis, which his family and legal counsel asserted was prescribed by a doctor to alleviate severe spinal pain. In a court located just outside Moscow in June 2022, he was found guilty of engaging in “large-scale drug smuggling” and sentenced to fourteen years in a Russian labor camp. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy to the Middle East who will play a pivotal role in negotiations between the US and Russia concerning the Ukraine conflict, cited Fogel’s release as a promising development for the future of Russo-American relations. He highlighted the positive rapport between Presidents Trump and Putin and expressed optimism about their ongoing cooperation and its potential impact on global affairs. The Associated Press and CNN’s Kevin Liptak provided valuable contributions to this report, which has been supplemented with additional information. To access more CNN news and newsletters, please register an account on CNN.com.
