Prisoner Swap Latest: US reporter Evan Gershkovich freed in US-Russia prisoner swap
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia completed a 24-person prisoner swap on Thursday, the largest in post-Soviet history, with Moscow releasing Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free, according to officials in Turkey, where the exchange took place.
The Journal confirmed that Gershkovich had been freed.
It’s the latest exchange between Washington and Moscow in the past two years, following a December 2022 trade that brought WNBA star Brittney Griner back to the U.S. in exchange for notorious arms trafficker Viktor Bout.
Russia meanwhile secured the freedom of its own nationals convicted of serious crimes in the West.
Here’s the Latest:
How the swap itself worked
The Turkish government has released some details on the execution of the swap that took place at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. A statement from the Turkish president’s office stated that after arriving in Turkey the individuals involved were removed from their aircraft under the supervision of agents of the Turkish National Intelligence Agency, or MIT, and moved to “secure areas.”
Following the approval of the exchange by the countries involved in the swap deal, the hostages received health checks and had their other needs addressed.
They were then escorted onto the aircraft that would take them to their respective destinations.
The planes were then given clearance to depart following authorization from MIT.
Biden and Harris will join families as they reunite with their loved ones this evening
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will join the families of Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington this evening to welcome them back to U.S. soil.
That’s according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was also released from Russia in the swap, will be returning to Germany but told Biden on a call today that he hopes to visit the U.S. soon.
Biden hits back at Trump’s claim that he could get Putin to release prisoners
During his White House address earlier Thursday, President Joe Biden responded to former President Donald Trump’s frequent claim that he could get Russia to release imprisoned Americans.
When asked about Trump’s claim, Biden retorted, “Why didn’t he do it when he was president?”
But most of the released Westerners were detained during Biden’s presidency, though corporate security consultant Paul Whelan had been in custody since 2018 when Trump was in office.
Before the deal, Trump said Gershkovich, who was detained in 2023 during Biden’s presidency, would “be released almost immediately after the election.” He said Russian President Vladimir Putin “will do that for me and I don’t believe he’ll do it for anyone else.”
Biden broke the news of the exchange to relatives of the American detainees
Biden invited relatives of the detained Americans into the Oval Office as the U.S. received word that the prisoners had been swapped in Turkey, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
“He was able to give them the news directly that the exchange was complete,” Sullivan said of Biden.
Biden then made two calls, one to Americans Gershkovich, Kurmasheva and Whelan and the other to Kara-Murza, a dual Russian-U.K. citizen. Each of the family members was able to talk to their relatives, Sullivan said.
Biden told the former prisoners he “welcomed their freedom” and said on behalf of the American people that “he was so proud to have them out.”
Biden also reminisced with Kara-Murza about serving as pallbearers together at the 2018 funeral for former U.S. Sen. John McCain.
Exiled Belarus opposition leader hopes exchange sets precedent for the release of prisoners in her own country
The exiled leader of Belarus’ opposition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, hopes the prisoner exchange can be a heartening sign for her country’s political prisoners.
“We welcome the freeing of political prisoners from Russian jails and the fact that such an exchange of сaptives is an important precedent that helps releases of Belarusians,” she said in a statement.
Human rights observers say Belarus holds nearly 1,400 political prisoners, largely from the crackdown on widespread protests in 2020.
One of those released in today’s exchange is a German Red Cross worker who was sentenced to death last month for terrorism but who was pardoned by the president this week.
US national security advisor says the swap’s ‘benefit outweighs the risk’
The U.S. believes the benefit of securing the release of wrongfully detained Americans outweighed the risk of incentivizing American adversaries from taking additional prisoners as leverage, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday.
Sullivan acknowledged that “It is difficult to send back a convicted criminal to secure the release of an innocent American,” saying it’s a question U.S. policymakers “grapple with every time” a prisoner swap deal is discussed.
Sullivan says the U.S. conducted an assessment and determined that the “benefit outweighs the risk.”
Sullivan says Roger Carsten, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, conducted an analysis that suggests Americans are at no greater risk for being detained when the U.S. makes deals to secure their release.
Poland’s part in the prisoner exchange
The prisoner released by Poland, Pavel Rubtsov, has been known since his arrest more than two years ago as Pablo Gonzalez, a journalist working for Spanish media.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk thanked Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Polish security services for their work, which led to part of the exchange.
“The prisoner exchange operation has just ended, thanks to which Russian opposition heroes and citizens of NATO countries detained in Russia left Russia. The action was possible thanks to the involvement of our state. I would like to thank the President and the services for their exemplary cooperation,” Tusk wrote on X.
Poland’s Internal Security Agency said in March 2022 that they arrested a Spanish citizen of Russian origin on espionage charges the night of Feb. 27-28, 2022, in the border town of Przemysl, and read him “the charge of participating in foreign intelligence activities against Poland.”
The agency said, “He carried out activities on behalf of Russia using his status as a journalist. This allowed him to move freely around Europe and the world, including to zones of armed conflict and regions of political tension.”
Former Russian President Medvedev: ‘I would like the traitors of Russia to rot in prison’
In comments apparently referring to the massive US-Russia prisoner exchange, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, “I would like the traitors of Russia to rot in prison or die in jail, as has often happened. But it is more useful to get out our own, who worked for the country, for the Fatherland, for all of us.”
Medvedev was regarded as a moderate during his 2008-2012 presidency, but since the 2022 start of the Ukraine has made vehemently anti-West and nationalist statements on the Telegram messaging app.
“Let the traitors now feverishly pick new names and actively disguise themselves under the witness protection program,” he wrote Thursday, without directly mentioning the exchange.
Navalny’s widow says there are more Russian prisoners ‘we still have to fight for’
Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya said on X that “it was a huge, long, and very difficult work, with negotiations spanning several years.”
“In February, many different people came together for another attempt to save them all. And now, they are all free,” Navalnaya wrote.
“Every released political prisoner is a huge victory and a reason to celebrate. No one should be held hostage by Putin, subjected to torture, or left to die in his prisons,” adding that there are prisoners in Russia “we still have to fight for.”
Ally of Alexei Navalny laments the Russian opposition leader’s death
Russia’s late opposition leader Alexei Navalny should have been freed in the historic prisoner exchange that took place Thursday, his closest ally Leonid Volkov said on social media.
Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, died in February at the age of 47 in a remote Arctic prison. Shortly after his death, his allies said that Moscow was in talks with the West about a prisoner exchange involving the politician. Weeks later, Russian President Vladimir Putin also said that he was prepared to release Navalny in a prisoner swap on condition that he never return to Russia.
“Today we’re reveling in the release of political prisoners, Putin’s hostages who were suffering in Putin’s gulag,” Volkov said on X. “But it still will be joy with tears in our eyes. ‘The Navalny swap’ has taken place … But without Navalny. It hurts a lot.”
Who’s in the massive prisoner swap between Russia and the West?
One spent over 5½ years behind bars in Russia while other, higher-profile detainees were released ahead of him. Another was jailed for only a few months. They include journalists, veteran political activists and those simply opposed to the war in Ukraine. The youngest is 19, the oldest 71.
Among the Russians jailed in the West were alleged sleeper agents who lived double lives. Others were convicted of hacking computers. One was imprisoned for the brazen, daytime shooting death of a man in a Berlin park.
▶ Who walked free in today’s civilian prisoner swap?
Biden pays respect to the families of those formerly detained
During his speech, Biden took Elizabeth Whelan’s hand and said she’d practically been living at the White House as they tried to free Paul.
He then motioned for Alsu Kurmasheva’s daughter Miriam to come closer, and took her hand, telling the room it was her 13th birthday before asking everyone to sing “Happy Birthday” with him. The teen was emotional as Biden hugged her across the shoulders with one arm and wiped away a tear after she walked away.
“Now she gets to celebrate with her mom,” Biden said. “That’s what this is all about — families able to be together again. Like they should have been all along.”
Family of detained former Marine thanks public officials, journalists and ordinary letter writers
The family of a former Marine is thanking everyone from top U.S. officials to GoFundMe donors and fellow military vets for his release from Russian detention after 2,043 days.
Paul Whelan’s family issued the statement Thursday after confirming the former Marine was among those coming home.
The family used the opportunity to thank President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. But they also expressed gratitude to Washington insiders, ordinary letter writers and journalists who all helped keep up pressure for Whelan’s release.
In the statement, the family notes that Whelan lost his home and his job while wrongfully held by Russia.
“We are unsure how someone overcomes these losses and rejoins society after being a hostage,” his family wrote.
What are Germany’s ‘serious concessions’?
The German government says it didn’t take lightly the decision to free Vadim Krasikov, convicted of carrying out a Russian-ordered murder in Berlin in 2019.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, said in a statement Friday that the release of 15 people held “wrongfully” in Russia and a German held in Belarus could only be achieved by deporting Russians “with an intelligence background” held in Europe such as Krasikov.
Hebestreit said that “the German government did not take this decision lightly.” He added that “the freedom, physical well-being and — in some cases — ultimately the life of innocent people imprisoned in Russia and unjustly held political prisoners stood against the state’s interest in the enforcement of the prison sentence of convicted criminal.”
Hebestreit said that “our obligation to protect German citizens and solidarity with the U.S. were important motivations.”
Biden acknowledges ‘serious concessions from Germany’ in prisoner exchange
Biden credited U.S. allies for the prisoner swap, saying it’s “a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world.”
“For anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do,” Biden said. “They matter.”
But he also acknowledged that such prisoner swaps “come with tough calls.”
The president said that he has a great sense of gratitude to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The deal, he said, “required me to get some serious concessions from Germany.”
President Joe Biden says detained Americans are coming home and ‘their brutal ordeal is over’
Addressing the nation from the White House State Room, Biden said it was a “feat of diplomacy” that brought home Whelan, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva and Kara-Murza. He said multiple countries worked together to get it done.
As Biden made his statement at the White House, he was joined by relatives of the freed Americans.
The U.S. president said he and the families had spoken to their relatives by phone from the Oval Office minutes before his address. Biden called the release an “incredible relief” for the families and a feat of diplomacy.
Biden said the work to bring home those wrongfully detained began during his transition into the presidency. And he said his administration has brought home 70 Americans, “many since before I took office.”
US Senators react to prisoner exchange
Republicans in the Senate welcomed the news but also pointed out the deal came at a cost for the U.S.
Sen. Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement, “While I am glad to see the return of these wrongfully detained Americans, we must not forget those who were left behind: Marc Fogel and Ksenia Karelina. The United States paid a steep price for this exchange, as those returning to Russia are some of Putin’s most valuable assets who will be glad to return to their villainous ways.”
Meanwhile, Democrats also lauded the Biden administration for including Russian opposition leaders in the release.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said it “speaks to a very smart policy by this administration to of course prioritize Americans, but also realize that we can’t stand up for democracy globally if we are not supporting freedom fighters inside places like Russia.”
Amnesty International says exchange leaves ‘a bitter aftertaste’
Amnesty International expressed relief at the release of prisoners held by Russia, but said the exchange leaves “a bitter aftertaste.”
The deputy secretary general of Amnesty’s German branch, Christian Mihr, said in a statement that “a murderer and other criminals who were convicted in a fair trial are now coming free in exchange for people who only used their right to freedom of expression.”
He said that “therefore, the prisoner swap is also a step toward expanding impunity.” He argued that the Russian government could feel encouraged to carry out further political detentions and human rights violations without having to fear consequences.
VP Harris reacts
Vice President Kamala Harris says in a statement the U.S. is celebrating the release of those “unjustly held in Russia.”
Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, wrote: “It gives me great comfort to know that their horrible ordeal is over.” She said the Biden administration will not stop working until every American wrongfully detained has been brought home.
Biden calls exchange a ‘feat of diplomacy’
President Joe Biden praised the negotiations that brought four Americans home from Russian detention Thursday as a “feat of diplomacy.”
In a White House statement, Biden cited the “unimaginable suffering and uncertainty” surrounding the prisoners’ time in Russian custody.
“Today, their agony is over,” Biden said.
Biden thanked allies including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey for their assistance.
Biden said his administration had brought home more than 70 Americans who had been wrongfully detained or otherwise held hostage. “I have no higher priority as President than bringing those Americans home,” he wrote.
Turkey’s intelligence chief facilitated talks between the US and Russia, per Turkish official
A Turkish security official said Turkey’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, personally facilitated talks between his U.S. and Russian counterparts for the prisoner swap.
The talks took place in Istanbul and Ankara, the official said.
According to the official, Washington and Moscow reached out to Turkey requesting its assistance. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan then instructed Kalin to “do whatever is necessary” to make the deal happen, according to the official, who provided the information on customary condition of anonymity.
Sen Graham says exchange is ‘reinforcing bad behavior’
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said he was glad that the U.S. citizens would get to go home, but added that the exchange was “just reinforcing bad behavior.”
Graham, who is known as a hawk on foreign policy, suggested that the next time an American is imprisoned under similar circumstances, the U.S. should “just pound the hell out of Russia.”
The Wall Street Journal celebrates Gershkovich’s release
Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker says Gershkovich has walked free from a Russian plane and will soon board a flight home to the U.S.
“I cannot even begin to describe the immense happiness and relief that this news brings and I know all of you will feel the same,” Tucker wrote in a note to the staff obtained by the AP. “This is a day of great joy for Evan and his family, and a historic day for The Wall Street Journal.”
Wall Street Journal reporters broke into applause after his release was announced in the New York newsroom. Gershkovich’s photo was projected onto a screen along with #IStandWithEvan, the hashtag supporters around the world used to call for his freedom.
The trade
The sprawling deal, the latest in a series of prisoner swaps negotiated between Russia and the U.S. in the last two years but the first to require significant concessions from other countries, was heralded by President Joe Biden as a diplomatic achievement in the final months of his administration. But the release of Americans has come at a price: Russia has secured the freedom of its own nationals convicted of serious crimes in the West by trading them for journalists, dissidents and other Westerners convicted and sentenced in a highly politicized legal system on charges the U.S. considers bogus.
The Wall Street Journal confirms Gershkovich’s release
The Journal confirmed the release, with top editor Emma Tucker saying in a staff email: “I cannot even begin to describe the immense happiness and relief that this news brings and I know all of you will feel the same.”
Russia extended Gershkovich’s detention several times
In February, a Moscow court ruled to keep him in custody pending his trial.
In March, the court ordered him to remain in jail on espionage charges until at least late June. The 32-year-old had spent nearly a year behind bars by then.
In April, the court rejected an appeal that sought to end his pretrial detention.
His arrest in the city of Yekaterinburg rattled journalists in Russia, where authorities have not detailed what, if any, evidence they have to support the espionage charges.
Gershkovich appeared in Russian court more than a dozen times
Since his detention, Gershkovich has appeared more than a dozen times in Russian courtrooms — first in Moscow, where he was held at the notorious Lefortovo Prison, and then at the Sverdlovsk Regional Court in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg.
His pretrial appearances became almost formulaic, as he was led in handcuffs over and over from a prison van to a glass defendant’s cage. They offered his family and friends both a painful reminder of his detention but also a chance to lay eyes on him.
“It’s always a mixed feeling. I’m happy to see him and that he’s doing well, but it’s a reminder that he is not with us. We want him at home,” Gershkovich’s mother, Ella Milman, told The Associated Press in an interview in March.
Although Gershkovich was often seen smiling in the brief appearances, friends and family said he found it hard to face a wall of cameras pointed at him as if he were an animal in a zoo.
As his trial started behind closed doors on June 26, Gershkovich stood in the defendants cage with a shaved head as the media were allowed briefly into the court.
Russia has detained many other journalists
The arrest of Gershkovich — the first U.S. journalist taken into custody on espionage charges since Nicholas Daniloff in 1986 at the height of the Cold War — came as a shock, even though Russia had enacted increasingly repressive laws on freedom of speech after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“He was accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry. There was nothing to suggest that this was going to happen,” said Emma Tucker, The Wall Street Journal’s editor-in-chief in an interview in March.
Since the invasion, Russian authorities have detained several U.S. nationals and other Westerners, and Gershkovich knew the risks, said Washington Post correspondent and friend Francesca Ebel.
After his arrest, he knew “right from the very start that this was going to take a long time,” she said.
Long before his arrest, Gershkovich lamented that many friends in Russia were being locked up
In early 2022, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich wrote on social media that “reporting on Russia is now also a regular practice of watching people you know get locked away for years.”
A year later, he was the one locked up — arrested in March 2023 on charges of spying that his employer and the U.S. government have denounced as fabricated. Last month, he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
WSJ reporter freed in massive US-Russia prisoner swap
The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history on Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free, according to officials in Turkey, where the exchange took place.
Both had been convicted of espionage charges that the U.S. government considered baseless.
The trade followed years of secretive back-channel negotiations despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The sprawling deal, the latest in a series of prisoner swaps negotiated between Russia and the U.S. in the last two years but the first to require significant concessions from other countries.
Speculation had mounted for weeks that a swap was near because of a confluence of unusual developments, including a startingly quick trial and conviction for Gershkovich that Washington regarded as a sham. He was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison.
Gershkovich was arrested March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg.
