Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has just announced that he will use his first contact with Russian Prime Minister Sergei Lavrov to attempt to arrange a prisoner swap for US citizens Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner.

Most people are familiar with the saga of WNBA player Brittney Griner (WNBA Star Detained in Russia for Alleged Drug Possession), who has pleaded guilty to charges of bringing a controlled substance into Russia (Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Drug Possession in Russia). She’s in court today for her sentencing hearing. Fewer know about Paul Whelan. Whelan is a Marine veteran who was security director for the auto parts company BorgWarner. He was arrested by the FSB in 2018 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

After his arrest, Whelan told family members (and presumably US officials) that the Russians were holding him in exchange for one or more of three high-profile Russians in US prisons: Konstantin Yaroshenko, Viktor Bout, or Roman Seleznev.

Yaroshenko was convicted in 2011 of conspiring to smuggle over $100 million in cocaine into the United States and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. He was exchanged in April 2022 for USMC veteran Trevor Reed. Reed was arrested in 2019 on charges of tuning up a couple of Russian police officers while under the influence; he was serving nine years.

Seleznev is a hacker and the son of a member of the Russian Duma. He was convicted in 2014 on 38 counts of wire fraud and identity theft, along with other stuff, in connection with a credit card theft scam that cost businesses an estimated $169 million. He is serving a 27-year sentence.

CNN reports the winner in the trade is Viktor Bout.

CNN Exclusive: Biden admin has offered to exchange Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year US prison sentence, in potential deal for release of detained Americans Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, @kylieatwood @evanperez @jmhansler reporting

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) July 27, 2022

Bout is an arms trafficker with links to the Putin regime. He was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 25 years for arming Colombian FARC guerillas and conspiring to kill Americans after meeting with DEA agents in Thailand who he thought were customers. He has been mentioned as a candidate for a swap in the past; see WNBA Player Brittney Griner Writes to Biden Asking for Help Getting out of Russian Jail.

The Russians have said that no prisoner swap involving Griner is possible until the criminal proceedings against her are finished. Today’s court action will possibly clear the way for that to happen.