Russia freed an American prisoner ahead of talks, US embassy spokesman says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
US citizen Kalob Byers was detained at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Feb 7, after Customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his luggage.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
MOSCOW – The Russian government released a US citizen detained on charges of possession of a small amount of marijuana ahead of talks between Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia, a spokesman for the US Embassy in Moscow said.
Mr Kalob Byers, 28, had been detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport during a baggage check on Feb 7, after Customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his luggage.
The US embassy spokesman called Mr Byers’ release by Moscow “a welcome gesture”.
Representatives for the US Department of State did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Kremlin, asked on Feb 17 if Mr Byers’ release suggested a warming in US-Russia ties, said the talks in the Saudi capital Riyadh were aimed at restoring relations between Moscow and Washington.
“Certain events can be viewed in this context,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Mr Byers’ mother, Ms Tonya Shuler, wrote on Facebook on Feb 15 that her son was “now in American custody and at the US embassy waiting for his flight home” from Russia.
He had faced up to 10 years in prison on the drug smuggling charge.
The embassy spokesman, asked by Reuters when Mr Byers was expected to fly home, declined further comment.
At least 10 other Americans remain behind bars in Russia.
They include Stephen Hubbard, a 73-year-old native of Michigan jailed in October 2024 for nearly seven years on charges that he served as a mercenary in Ukraine. His family has denied he took up arms.
Another, Ksenia Karelina, a dual Russian-American citizen, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2024 for donating just over US$50 (S$67) to a US charity that provides humanitarian support to Ukraine.
Both Hubbard and Karelina have been designated by Washington as “wrongfully detained”, which opens up diplomatic avenues to negotiate their release.
Russia last week freed Mr Marc Fogel,
In exchange, Washington released convicted Russian cyber criminal Alexander Vinnik,
