A significant exchange of prisoners is currently underway between Russia and the United States, as reported by a source from the White House. The situation has arisen amidst uncertainty regarding the whereabouts of several prominent detainees, including American prisoner Paul Whelan.
Recent reports have suggested that these individuals have been unexpectedly relocated from their respective prisons. Similarly, Russian detainees held in the U.S. have also seemingly vanished from the Federal Bureau of Prisons database, leading to speculation about a potential swap. According to Bloomberg News, Russia is set to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, as part of a significant international prisoner exchange.
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Sources have informed Scripps News that the details of the prisoner swap have not yet been finalized. Such exchanges may involve logistical coordination, potentially requiring the coordination of multiple flights and parties to ensure a smooth process.
Whelan was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and subsequently convicted of espionage two years later, receiving a 16-year prison sentence. The U.S. government has maintained that he is wrongfully detained. Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was detained in Russia in March of last year and has been held in custody since then on charges of espionage. Both Gershkovich and the U.S. government have consistently denied these allegations, with the U.S. State Department declaring him to be “wrongfully detained.”
