Russia released Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. marine Paul Whelan from jail Thursday as part of a major prisoner swap with the U.S. and six other countries involving 26 total detainees, several news outlets reported—ending years of tense negotiations between Russia and the West.
US journalist Evan Gershkovich was accused of espionage and jailed in Russia.
The prisoner swap was reportedly completed in Ankara, Turkey, and included 24 adults and two children: 10 people—including the two children—were transferred to Russia, 13 were transferred to Germany and three were released to the U.S., CNN reported, citing Turkish authorities.
The exchange included prisoners held in the U.S., Germany, Poland, Solvenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus, The Washington Post reported.
Gershkovich and Whelan were among the detainees released by Russia, in addition to Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison last month, according to The New York Times, which cited an unnamed Turkish official.
Other detainees released by Russia include dissident Ilya Yashin and Russian-British activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, according to the Times and Bloomberg.
German authorities released Vadim Krasikov, a Russian man convicted in Germany for a “state-ordered- murder” in 2019, who Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to as a “patriot,” the Times reported.
Russia handed both Whelan and Gerskhovich 16 year jail sentences for spying in 2020 and last month, respectively, with both men denying the charges and being designated as wrongly detained by the U.S. State Department—while Kara-Murza was sentenced to a record 25 years in prison on treason and other charges last year.
Three Russians serving sentences for federal crimes were transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service in preparation for the swap, CNN reported, citing law enforcement officials.
Turkish’s National Intelligence Agency said the agency helped conduct the prisoner exchange in Ankara, which involved people from seven countries, according to statements obtained by CNN and Reuters.
Speculation of an imminent prisoner swap between Washington and Moscow has grown in recent days amid reports key figures held in Russia had “disappeared” from jails. Gershkovich, who was jailed when reporting in Yekaterinburg in March last year, and Whelan, who was detained in 2018 when attending a wedding in Moscow, are known to be high profile targets for Washington and both were widely reported as likely candidates for any swap.
It’s not clear who will be involved in the swap on either side or what countries will be involved. Belarus is expected to join Russia on one side of the deal, according to Reuters, with the U.S. collaborating with Germany and Slovenia on the other.
According to Reuters, various news reports—some of which have not been confirmed by the outlet—indicate Russian-British dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, opposition activist Vadim Ostanin, opposition politician Ilya Yashin, human rights activist Oleg Orlov and Daniil Krinari, who was convicted of cooperating with foreign governments, have disappeared from jail and could be among those released in the swap. Others reported to have gone missing include activists Liliya Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeeva, artist Sasha Skochilenko and Kevin Lik, a German-Russian citizen convicted of treason.
The exchange will reportedly be the biggest prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War.
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