A new video showing Brittney Griner's reaction as she's informed that she will be flying to the United States is garnering attention on the internet as fans are glad she's finally able to leave Russia.
Yesterday (December 8), it was announced that the US basketball star had been freed from Russian detention in a "prisoner swap" between the two countries.
Approved by President Joe Biden, the swap saw the 32-year-old released from prison after she was originally arrested at an airport in Moscow back in February for possessing cannabis oil. Griner was returning to Russia to finish her overseas season there when the arrest took place.
In order to secure her release, the US swapped notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, after holding him for 12 years.
In the new video, a Russian interviewer using a translator app asks Griner what her mood is.
"Happy," she replies.
"Do you know where are you heading to?" the interviewer then asks.
"No," Griner says. "I don’t know."
"You’re flying back home," the interviewer says.
"To the U.S.?" Griner asks.
"To the U.S.," the person replies while the basketball star can be seen smiling. "Everything will be fine."
Watch the moment below:
Fans took to the comments to express their relief following the news.
"She looks like she does not believe them. My heart breaks for her. So glad she is coming home," wrote one user.
"This is making me so sad. She look like she really been thru so much" (sic), another added.
Others were pointing out that the 32-year-old looks very different from how she did before.
"It breaks my heart they cut off her locs. Of course it's what happens when you’re incarcerated but the way it’s cut for how long she was in shows they were forceful and cruel with it," commented another Twitter user, while someone else expressed their anger at the decision writing: "Did they make Britney cut the locs off?" along with an angry face emoji.
As per the Guardian, President Joe Biden formally announced Griner's release from the White House.
"Moments ago, standing together with her wife Cherelle in the Oval Office, I spoke with Brittney Griner," Biden said. "She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home after months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances. Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along."
He then took to Twitter to confirm that he had spoken to Griner following her release, telling his followers: "Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home."