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Wrongfully imprisoned reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and two others have been released by Russian authorities in a multinational prisoner swap with President Joe Biden’s administration.
The United States secured the freedom of Gershkovich, Whelan, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and U.S. resident Vladimir Kara-Muza.
“The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy,” Biden wrote in a statement. “All told, we’ve negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia-including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country.”
“I am grateful to our Allies who stood with us throughout tough, complex negotiations to achieve this outcome- including Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey. This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon. Our alliances make Americans safer,” Biden added. “Let me be clear: I will not stop working until every American wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world is reunited with their family.”
Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was detained by Russian authorities while on assignment in Yekaterinburg last year. Gershkovich has been held in the notorious Lefortovo prison since March 2023 on trumped-up charges of espionage and was sentenced to 16 years in prison earlier this month.
Whelan was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020 on charges of espionage. Wheelan’s detention regained international attention after the Biden administration secured the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner in December after she was arrested on drug charges in 2022. Russian authorities had rebuffed efforts to secure Wheelan’s release in the prisoner swap that returned Griner to the United States.
The successful swap was not without its tragedy. According to the Wall Street Journal, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was intended to be a part of the exchange. Navalny died under incredibly suspicious circumstances in February while serving a 19-year sentence on controversial, extremism-related charges. Navalny’s family and several governments have accused the Russian government of murdering the long-time critic of Vladimir Putin.
The Biden administration had previously hinted at concerns that negotiations to secure their citizens’ return would collapse as the 2024 election loomed over talks with Russian authorities.
In May, former President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Gershkovich “will be released almost immediately after the Election, but definitely before I assume Office. He will be HOME, SAFE, AND WITH HIS FAMILY. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me, but not for anyone else.”
Apparently not.During a press conference announcing the successful recovery, Biden was asked what he would say to Trump’s claims that “he could have gotten the hostages out without giving anything in exchange.”
“Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” Biden retorted.
