(FILES) US journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage, looks out from inside a glass defendants' cage prior to a hearing in Yekaterinburg's Sverdlovsk Regional Court on June 26, 2024. - US reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US marine Paul Whelan were among 26 prisoners released Thursday in a swap deal between Russia and several western countries, Turkey's presidency said. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP)
In a significant development, the United States and Russia are carrying out a large-scale prisoner exchange expected to include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan, along with several other Americans.
According to a senior administration official, both parties have agreed to the transfer, and the prisoners are anticipated to be in the care of US officials by Thursday. This agreement follows months of discreet and complex negotiations between Moscow and Washington.
Gershkovich, arrested in March 2023 during a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg, was convicted of espionage on July 19 and sentenced to 16 years in prison—a trial widely condemned as a sham by the US government and his supporters.
Whelan, a US, Irish, British, and Canadian citizen, was detained in December 2018 at a Moscow hotel and accused of participating in an intelligence operation. He received a 16-year sentence, which he has been serving in a labor camp in Mordovia.
Whelan had previously been excluded from two major exchanges in 2022, including those involving former US Marine Trevor Reed and WNBA star Brittney Griner.
This prisoner swap marks the end of a prolonged ordeal for both men, who had been designated by the US State Department as wrongfully detained. The completion of this exchange is expected to provide a significant relief to their families and supporters.
