Following nearly a year in Russian custody after he was detained in April 2022, Dudley’s release was secured on Thursday by former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and his organization, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement.
The Richardson Center works with nations often at odds with the United States, and helps to secure the release of American hostages and prisoners abroad. After six months of negotiations between the organization and Russian authorities, which were spearheaded by the former governor himself, the release was secured.
The 35-year-old was greeted by his mother as he crossed the Bagrationovsk-Bezledy border in Poland. According to a statement from the center, Dudley is “on his way home.”