Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva were released from Russian prisons and returned to the U.S. as part of a large prisoner swap involving 24 individuals across six countries. The Americans landed in Washington late Thursday night and were greeted by President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their families. The historic swap, the largest since the Cold War, followed months of negotiations and included the return of Russian hitman Vadim Krasikov from jail in Germany.
The release also included Russian-British dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is an American green-card holder. Biden and Harris commended the prisoners for their courage and criticized the injustice they faced. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned that the deal originally involved the release of Alexei Navalny, the deceased Russian opposition leader, before he died in a Russian prison in February.
Gershkovich, 32, was accused of gathering information on behalf of the CIA, while Whelan, 54, faced charges of espionage. Both Gershkovich and Whelan denied the accusations, stating they were doing their jobs as a journalist and tourist, respectively. The Gershkovich family expressed gratitude for Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the Wall Street Journal colleagues for their support during the 491 days of their son’s detainment. The returning Americans and their families expressed relief and joy at being reunited after the ordeal.
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