The United States and Russia have carried out the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Soviet Union, securing the release of four American detainees, including Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, along with two other Americans and one green card holder.
AP reports that President Joe Biden is heralding it as a major diplomatic achievement.
The United States and Russia conducted their largest prisoner swap since the end of the Soviet era on Thursday.
The exchange, held in Turkey, saw Moscow release journalist Evan Gershkovich and American Paul Whelan, along with other detainees, in a multinational deal freeing around two dozen individuals.
The historic exchange followed years of secretive negotiations despite the strained relations between Washington and Moscow, exacerbated by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was accused of spying and arrested in March 2023.
The Federal Security Service claimed he was collecting state secrets for the U.S., though no evidence was provided. Washington declared him wrongfully detained.
Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges, which both his family and the U.S. government had consistently called baseless.
The swap was the latest in a series of exchanges between the U.S. and Russia over the past two years but was the first to require significant concessions from other countries, with seven nations agreeing to release 24 prisoners.
After years of isolation in U.S. penitentiaries and Russian penal colonies, the prisoners experienced the emotional release from captivity, a moment culminating from prolonged back-channel negotiations.
Historically, such exchanges have included spies, journalists, drug and arms dealers, and even athletes.
However, Thursday’s complex exchange involved months of negotiations among several countries.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre confirmed the deal, which included Mikhail Mikushin, a suspected Russian military intelligence officer arrested in Norway in October 2022. Støre emphasized the extensive international cooperation that made the exchange possible.
Mikushin, who had entered Norway as an academic researcher under a false Brazilian identity, was suspected of espionage. Prior to his arrest, he lectured at Norway’s Arctic University under an alias.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy welcomed the swap, highlighting the release of two British nationals, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Paul Whelan. Lammy commended Kara-Murza’s courage in opposing Putin’s regime and expressed relief for Whelan and his family’s ordeal.
Vadim Konoshchenok, one of the prisoners returning to Russia, maintained his innocence in a U.S. case involving technology-export sanctions violations. His U.S. lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, expressed satisfaction that one of Konoshchenok’s wishes to return home was fulfilled.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government detailed the swap’s execution at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. After arriving in Turkey, the prisoners were supervised by Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) agents, received health checks, and were then escorted to their respective aircraft for departure.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will join the families of Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Evan Gershkovich at Joint Base Andrews to welcome them back to U.S. soil. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that the swap did not involve money or sanctions relief for Russia.
Vice President Harris also spoke to Alexei Navalny’s widow, expressing relief over the release of Russian political prisoners linked to Navalny.
