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Reports: Historic prisoner swap sees Americans Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich freed from Russia

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  • Reports: Historic prisoner swap sees Americans Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich freed from Russia
  • August 1, 2024
  • Article Body Text <p>U.S. media reports say American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were released as part of a historic prisoner swap with Russia.</p> <p>The White House has not commented on the reports, but Turkey said the two were among 26 prisoners from the U.S., Russia and a number of their allies freed in the exchange.  </p> <p>It marked the largest prisoner swap between the United States and Russia since the Cold War. </p> <p>Of the Americans, the longest held was Paul Whelan, who was arrested in Moscow in 2018. In 2020, he was sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony on spying charges that he and the U.S. government deny.<br />  <br /> <em>Wall Street Journal </em>reporter Gershkovich was detained in 2023 and had been convicted in a closed door trial on July 19, which was widely decried as a sham.  </p> <p>On the Russian side, the Kremlin is reported to have negotiated for the release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian serving life in prison in Germany.</p> <p>Krasikov was convicted in the 2019 murder of a Chechen dissident in Berlin. He had previously been in the running to be exchanged for opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who died in February 2024.</p>
  • Content Type Text
  • Language English
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
  • Network VOA
  • Embargo Date August 1, 2024 11:36 EDT
  • Byline VOA News
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English
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