Three individuals, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, have returned to the United States following a significant prisoner exchange with Russia. The exchange, which involved 26 people and was negotiated in secrecy for more than a year, included 16 individuals moving from Russia to the West and eight prisoners, along with two children, going in the other direction.
Upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the three individuals were greeted by friends and family, as well as US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden expressed gratitude to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his role in securing the release of one of the Russian prisoners, Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence for murder.
The release of the prisoners was welcomed by Harris as an end to what she described as an “appalling perversion of justice.” The exchange, which was facilitated with the help of Turkey, saw the release of 16 people who had been imprisoned in Russia, including political prisoners.
The deal, which required significant concessions from various countries, was hailed as the biggest in post-Soviet history. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin greeted the returning citizens at Moscow airport, where he honored them with state awards. The exchange marks a significant moment in US-Russia relations and highlights the importance of international cooperation in resolving such complex issues.
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