Jacob was the only U.S. citizen on the bus, according to his father, who said Russian state media had made a “heart-wrenching” propaganda video featuring his son. Jacob was later taken to Russia, where he was held for 10 days, Klobuchar said in a statement, adding that his release was secured with the assistance of the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

    A State Department spokesperson said the agency was aware of the reports of Jacob’s release but declined to further comment due to privacy concerns.

    Jacob’s mother, Tina Hauser, said on CNN’s “Don Lemon Tonight” that she spoke with her son on Friday. She said he was in a NATO member state, though she did not specify the country.

    “It sounded like angels singing in my ear, hearing his voice,” Hauser said. “It’s going to be astronomical, the feelings that are going to flow through me, when I get to give my son a hug for the first time.”

Kherson, home to some 290,000 people before the invasion, is a vital port and Black Sea shipbuilding city. It was one of the first Ukrainian cities to come under heavy Russian shelling and, later, occupation, but the Pentagon said Friday that Moscow appeared to have at least partially lost control of Kherson.

    Griner “is doing as well as can be expected,” the State Department said after a U.S. consular officer was able to visit her this Wednesday.