The Wall Street Journal reporter and the former U.S. Marine have been released by Russia in exchange for Russian prisoners held in the U.S. and Europe, in what the U.S. calls a historic prisoner swap.
In one of the largest prisoner swaps between the United States, its allies and Russia since the end of the Cold War,reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan are among more than a dozen prisoners released by Russia in exchange for Russian prisoners held by the United States and countries throughout Europe, U.S. officials said Thursday.
In all, under the deal, 16 political prisoners, journalists and others, including five Germans, are being exchanged for eight Russians jailed in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland. Among the Russians is Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian state assassin in German custody, as well as three other Russians in U.S. custody.
“Not since the Cold War has there been a similar number of individuals exchanged in this way,” said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, adding the exchange was the “culmination of many rounds of complex painstaking negotiations over many, many months.”Those returning to the U.S. from Russia include Gershkovich, Whelan, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who works for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe, and Russian journalist and dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, a U.S.
The Turkish government said in a statement that it had played a key role and “conducted the most extensive prisoner exchange operation of recent times in Ankara,” involving not only Whelan and Gershkovich, but also Rico Krieger, whom it identified as a German mercenary imprisoned in Belarus; Russian dissident Ilya Yashin; and Vadim Krasikov, whom it identified as a colonel in the FSB, Russia’s internal security service.Gershkovich was arrested in Moscow in March 2023 and became the first U.S.
Whelan, a Marine Corps veteran who holds U.S., British, Irish and Canadian citizenship, was arrested in Russia in December 2018 on charges of espionage he strongly denies. On June 15, 2020, a Moscow court sentenced Whelan to 16 years in prison.Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
U.S., Russia agree to prisoner swap to free Americans Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and othersThe Biden administration has agreed to a prisoner exchange with Russian and is expected to soon secure the release of three American citizens imprisoned in Russia.
Read more »
Prisoner Swap Latest: US reporter Evan Gershkovich freed in prisoner swapThe United States and Russia have completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free.
Read more »
U.S., Russia prisoner swap secures release of Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and othersThe Biden administration announced it has secured the release of three U.S. citizens from Russia, including Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva, as part of a complex 24-person prisoner swap.
Read more »
Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan released in Russia-U.S. prisoner swapA prisoner swap was underway between the United States, Russia, and other countries on Thursday, according to a senior Biden administration official.
Read more »
WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, ex-Marine Whelan released in U.S., Russia prisoner swapThe swap of American, Russian and German prisoners is the largest such exchange since the Cold War.
Read more »
Live updates: U.S.-Russia prisoner swap involving Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan amid tense relationsThis is additional taxonomy that helps us with analytics
Read more »