A prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States has been finalized, as reported by the Associated Press.
Americans set to return home include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
Also released from Russian custody were American citizen Alsu Kurmasheva and U.S. permanent resident Vladimir Kara-Murza, according to the AP.
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Recent reports indicate that they were unexpectedly relocated from prisons. Similarly, Russians held in the United States have reportedly been set free.
“This is a significant development, a major opportunity, a significant milestone in bringing Americans home,” stated Bill Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
Whelan’s family is reportedly in Washington and may be heading to the White House, sources suggest.
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Prisoner swaps involve complex logistics, with various flights coordinated and parties waiting for planes to land before finalizing such exchanges.
Whelan was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and later convicted and sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges. Gershkovich, detained in Russia in March last year, has been imprisoned since then accused of spying. The U.S. State Department considers Gershkovich to be “wrongfully detained.”
Kurmasheva, a dual Russian-U.S. citizen and journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison in July for spreading misinformation.
Kara-Murza, a dual citizen of Russia and the UK, was a critic of President Putin with close ties to Senator McCain. Arrested for speaking out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he was later sentenced to 25 years for allegedly spreading false information about the war.
Turkish officials have reportedly assisted in facilitating this prisoner exchange.
