Russia releases US Navy veteran detained for nearly a year

Russia on Thursday released a U.S. Navy veteran after nearly a year of detention in a Russian province between Poland and Lithuania.

“Today, the Russian govt released my client, Taylor Dudley, a Navy vet, cross the Polish border,” Jonathan Franks, a spokesperson for the family, tweeted Thursday morning, saying he and the family were en route to Washington, D.C.

Dudley, 35, of Michigan, was detained in April after crossing into Kaliningrad, a Russian province on the Baltic Sea bordered to the north and east by Lithuania and to the south by Poland.

His detention was not widely publicized because his family wanted to keep the negotiations private, according to CNN.

The Richardson Center for Global Engagement, a nonprofit founded by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), led negotiations for his release.

The Steve Menzies Global Foundation, the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw and the James Foley Foundation also helped secure the release of Dudley, according to a statement Franks issued to CNN.

Dudley was enlisted with the U.S. Navy in 2007 and separated from his duties in March 2008, according to information forwarded to The Hill by a spokesperson for the Navy.

The Navy also said Dudley studied at a nuclear field operations school in Charleston, S.C., for several months.

The news comes after the highly publicized release of WNBA star Brittney Griner last year and former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, both of whom were released through a prisoner swap.

No exchange was made for the release of Dudley, CNN reported.

Another former U.S. Marine, Paul Whelan, is still detained in Russia. The Biden administration has said it is working to secure his release.