WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich among 24 freed in major Russia-West prisoner swap

Russia and Western nations, including the United States, have broken the biggest prisoner swap record in post-Soviet history between themselves.

The long-anticipated deal was sealed after years of complicated behind-the-scenes negotiations involving the US, Russia, Belarus, and Germany.

While Russia received eight people, four Americans returned home, and 12 German nationals were released.

Evan Gershkovich, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter, and Paul Whelan, former US Marine, were among the freed American citizens.

Gershkovich, who has been in a Russian prison for almost a year, was the first US journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War.

The 32-year-old was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage. WSJ denounced the trial as a sham.

Whelan, who is also an Irish, British, and Canadian citizen, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018.

The former US marine was also sentenced in 2020 to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

The US government denied the accusations and condemned the arrest of its citizens.

The trade unfolded despite brittle relations between Washington and Moscow worsened by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Putin had said he did not “rule out” returning Gershkovicht to the US, provided the US takes “reciprocal steps”.

The deal was the latest in a series of prisoner swaps negotiated between Russia and the US in the past two years, but the first to require significant concessions from other countries.

A previous prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow took place in December 2022, when Brittney Griner, an American basketball player, returned to the US after serving 10 months in a Russian prison. Griner was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer.

US President Joe Biden hailed the release and said he remains committed to ensuring every wrongfully detained American citizen is freed.