Russia’s state media on Thursday launched video footage of the prisoner alternate of Brittney Griner, the American W.N.B.A. star, and Viktor Bout, the convicted Russian arms supplier often known as “the Merchant of Death,” at an airport within the United Arab Emirates.
The video, which was verified by The New York Times, reveals Ms. Griner, in a purple jacket and pants, strolling with three males in fits towards one other man and Mr. Bout, who’s clutching a brown envelope and holding a coat over one arm. Ms. Griner’s hair is intently cropped, with no signal of her signature dreadlocks.
One man shakes Mr. Bout’s hand and embraces him, after which a second man additionally shakes his hand. Ms. Griner then veers off towards one other group of males, together with one clad in flowing robes who seems to be a U.A.E. official, as they shake her hand.
As the prisoner alternate takes place, a white jet stands within the background, steps open on the tarmac at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi.
The pictures, printed by Russian news shops, are from a collection of video clips of the assorted phases of Ms. Griner’s launch. It was unclear when all of the scenes happened.
In footage posted by the Russian state broadcaster RT, an unidentified girl who seems to be a jail warden says in Russian to Ms. Griner: “Will you come visit here? Yes? Great, come visit!”
And in video posted to the Telegram message utility by the Russian state news company RIA Novosti, Ms. Griner is proven boarding a airplane within the snow, carrying a duffel bag.
Once aboard and in her seat, she is requested by an unidentified individual, “What’s your mood?”
She replies, “Happy.”
Ms. Griner is requested if she is aware of the place she goes. She says she doesn’t know, and is then advised that she goes to the United States.
The individual says, “Everything will be fine.”
Anton Troianovski contributed reporting.
