Reports have suggested that the U.S. has conducted a major prisoner swap to bring Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan home from Russian custody.

Ankara

The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history.

US-Russia prisoner swap

The United States is reportedly engaged in a significant prisoner swap with Russia, aiming to secure the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. This exchange, described as the largest since the Cold War, may involve more than 20 prisoners, including at least three Americans.

Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned for over a year, was recently convicted on espionage charges. These charges have been denied by Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal, and the U.S. government. Paul Whelan, also accused of espionage, has served five years of a 16-year sentence in a Russian penal colony. Another individual expected to be released is Alsukh Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen and reporter for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. Kurmasheva was convicted in July for spreading false information regarding the Russian military.

Speculation about the prisoner swap began when lawyers for several Russian political prisoners were unable to contact their clients, including Kremlin dissident Ilya Yashin, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Oleg Orlov, and U.S. green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza. The disappearance of several Russian prisoners from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons database further fueled these speculations. These Russian prisoners were jailed on charges such as money laundering, wire fraud, and providing U.S. technology to the Russian military.

The exchange, if successful, is taking place at an international airport in Ankara, Turkey, marking a potentially historic diplomatic effort.



Massive U.S.-Russia prisoner swap underway

If this comes through, it would be an unprecedented prisoner exchange. As you mentioned, the largest since the Cold War, potentially more than 20 prisoners involved in this exchange, including at least three Americans. Now, among them is Evan Gershkovich. We have talked about him a lot here. He is the Wall Street Journal reporter who's been in prison for more than a year now. He was recently convicted, in fact, less than two weeks ago on espionage charges, charges that he, the newspaper, and the U.S. government deny. And of course, there's Paul Weyland, who has been serving five years of a 16-year sentence. He was also accused of espionage. He was sentenced to a Russian penal colony. And then there is also Alsukh Kurmasheva. She is a reporter for Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. That broadcaster has said in a statement that it welcomed news of Alsukh's imminent release and that they are grateful to the American government and all who worked tirelessly to end her unjust treatment by Russia. Kurmasheva is a dual U.S.-Russian citizen who was convicted in July of spreading false information about the Russian military. Really, in effect, it was her reporting on the Russian military's actions in Ukraine. Now, all of this started earlier this week, when lawyers for several Russian political prisoners could not reach their clients behind bars. Those included Kremlin dissident Ilya Yashin, Oleg Orlov, whose human rights organization won the Nobel Peace Prize, and Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who, by the way, is a U.S. green card holder. That's when speculation started that a prisoner exchange could possibly be in the works. And then what further spurred talk of a prisoner exchange is that several Russian prisoners who were being held in the U.S. disappeared from the database of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. They have been jailed on various charges, money laundering, wire fraud, and providing U.S. technology to the Russian military. So these are very delicate operations. Everyone is waiting to make sure that this exchange goes through there on the tarmac at the international airport in Ankara, Turkey, though. But in the end, this is potentially a historic diplomatic effort that we are watching unfold in real time, you guys.

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