Released U.S. citizen Dudley leaves Russia Thursday via Russian-Polish border checkpoint - source in Russian Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW. Jan 13 (Interfax) - U.S. citizen Taylor Dudley left Russia through the Bagrationovsk checkpoint on the Russian-Polish border after all procedures needed for his expulsion were completed, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"After all administrative procedures needed for expulsion were completed, Taylor Dudley was taken to the Bagrationovsk auto checkpoint on January 12, where he crossed the border," the source told reporters.

"Thus, this story, which undoubtedly has a humanitarian dimension, ended favorably, as it is said, normally," the source said.

The source said Dudley "was detained on April 25, 2022 in Kaliningrad after illegally crossing the Russian-Polish border."

The CNN television earlier reported, citing a family member of Dudley's, that the Russian authorities had released U.S. Navy veteran Taylor Dudley.

According to the CNN report, the American was handed over at the Polish border to former governor of New Mexico, United States, Bill Richardson, his team, and an employee of the U.S. embassy in Warsaw.