Brittney Griner wasn’t the only one released from Russian prison. Another is from Fresno

On the same day that WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from a Russian prison, another American woman was deported from the county.

She will reportedly return to Fresno.

Sarah Krivanek left Russia on a flight on Thursday and was scheduled to meet a friend in Los Angeles before heading back to Fresno, where the 46-year-old had lived and worked as an accountant before leaving for Russia in 2017.

According to NBC, their release was not part of a prisoner exchange.

Krivanek was in prison for nearly a year after he was detained at a Moscow airport while trying to leave the country, People, which has been following the case for several months, reported Thursday in an article about Krivanek’s detention and release reported.

The arrest stemmed from a domestic dispute in which Krivanek injured a man with whom she said she had an abusive relationship. According to People, the man later withdrew all charges, but Krivanek was ordered not to leave Moscow.

In later news reports, Krivanek’s friends said she had worked with the embassy to leave the country but was arrested before she could board a plane. For several months they had no contact and did not know where Krivanek was being held.

In an August article on DailyMail.com, the State Department said it was aware of the case but declined to provide details: “We can confirm the arrest of a U.S. citizen in Moscow in December 2021. “We are taking our role in supporting the United States seriously.” “We take citizens abroad seriously and are monitoring the situation.”

Krivanek was held in a penal colony where she “lived in a barrack with 40 women in a cell with eight other inmates in single bunks” and was mistreated by other prisoners on multiple occasions, according to People.

Krivanek had to take out a loan from the US Embassy to finance her trip home.

A GoFundMe has been created to help cover these costs and the necessary medical needs Krivanek will have once she is home, organizer Anita Martinez wrote in the campaign post.

“After reading her story, I hope you find it in your heart to donate whatever you can to end this nightmare for Sarah.”