Biden administration‘s months-long negotiations has reeled out a “tremendous diplomatic achievement,” as the White House announced on Thursday that they’ve secured the release of three American citizens and one American green-card holder from Russia.
The diplomatic feat achieved as part of a 24-person prisoner swap will grant freedom to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan, Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and British-Russian citizen and green card-holder Vladimir Kara-Murza, who are expected to arrive in US by nightfall.
“All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over,” President Joe Biden said in an official statement announcing that Americans detained in Russia “are safe, free, and have begun their journeys back into the arms of their families.”
Former president Barack Obama, who even visibly supported Biden during his initial re-election bid before he dropped out of the race recently, applauded his “skill and persistence” alongside that of vice president Kamala Harris and US’ allies.
“It’s a tremendous diplomatic achievement, and we’re grateful that they’ll be back home with their families where they belong,” he wrote on X/Twitter.
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About the American citizens released in the US-Russia prison swap
Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich was taken into Russian custody while he was on assignment in Yekaterinburg in March 2023. He was charged with espionage. The US condemned the claims. In early July 2024, a Russian court sentenced him to 16 years in prison. The US labelled his hasty trial “a sham.”
Marine veteran Whelan was the longest held American detainee in Russia. He was arrested in December 2018 when he visited the country to attend a friend’s wedding. Like Gershkovich, he was also charged with espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.
“Paul was held hostage for 2,043 days. His case was that of an American in peril, held by the Russian Federation as part of their blighted initiative to use humans as pawns to extract concessions,” the Whelan family said in a statement on Thursday. “Paul Whelan is free.”
Kurmasheva, who is a journalist based in Prague for the US-funded Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, holds dual Russian and American citizenship. She was detained in June 2023 following his visit to his mother in May. Kurmasheva was charged with disseminating false information about Russia’s military. After being tried in secret this July, she was sentenced to six and half years in prison.
Her husband, Pavel Butorin, said on Thursday, “After over a year of separation and more than nine months of brutal detention, Alsu will finally be free. Thanks to the unwavering efforts of the U.S. government and our tireless advocacy work, she will soon reunite with her family.”
Karza-Murza, whose family lives in the US, is a Kremlin critic and a Washington Post contributor.
These three are only a few of the Americans who were imprisoned in Russia. The swap couldn’t help bring back other detainees, including American teacher Marc Fogel, US Army staff sergeant Gordon Black, musician Michael Travis Leake and Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina among others.
WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was held in Russian prison for month on drug charges, was previously released in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout in December 2022.
The latest prisoner swap stands as one of the largest since the end of Cold War. In return, eight Russian nationals have been released, including three being held in US prisons: Vadim Konoshchenok, Vladislav Klyushin and Roman Seleznyov. Additionally, two Russians held in Slovenia, one in Poland and one in Norway have also found their way back home.
