WASHINGTON (States Newsroom) — The United States and Russia completed a multi-country prisoner swap Thursday that brought home several Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
The exchange included a total of 16 people from several countries who were detained by Russia, including seven of its own citizens held as “political prisoners.” Western nations released a total of eight Russians as part of the deal.
President Joe Biden said in White House remarks the negotiations were a “feat of diplomacy” that wouldn’t have been attainable without cooperation from allied nations.
“This deal would not have been made possible without our allies: Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey,” Biden said. “They stood with us and they made bold and brave decisions — released prisoners being held in their countries, who were justifiably being held, and provided logistical support to get the Americans home.”
“So if anyone questions if allies matter, they do,” he added.
Biden was accompanied by family members of the three American hostages released Thursday while he gave his remarks. He said they spoke by phone with their loved ones earlier in the day and planned to meet them at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland when their plane landed.
Biden said he tasked staff during his transition into the presidency with determining where Americans were held abroad and working on plans to get them released.
“As of today, my administration has brought home over 70 Americans who were wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad, many since before I took office,” Biden said. “Additionally, I issued an executive order in 2022, authorizing penalties, like sanctions and travel bans, on those who hold Americans against their will.”
Biden, who is not running for reelection, said he would continue working during his remaining months in office to bring home other Americans who are wrongfully detained.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during the White House press briefing that officials had completed “one of the largest, and certainly the most complex exchange in history.”
Journalists, dissidents freed
Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 while reporting for the Wall Street Journal and sentenced to 16 years in prison last month during a secret trial. The Wall Street Journal and U.S. officials have vehemently denied the charges.
Whelan, of Michigan, was arrested in 2018 and convicted of espionage in 2020, on charges he and American officials have repeatedly denied. He was sentenced to 16 years in Russia’s prison system.
Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist who worked for Radio Free Europe, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, who won a Pulitzer Prize for “passionate columns written under great personal risk from his prison cell” were among the prisoners freed in the swap.
Kurmasheva was sentenced to more than six years in prison in July on claims she spread “false information” about Russia’s military, a charge rejected by her family and officials.
Kara-Murza, who holds dual citizenship in Russia and the United Kingdom, is a long-time critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. Russian officials detained him in 2022 and sentenced him to 25 years in 2023.
Prior to his imprisonment, Kara-Murza accused Russian officials of poisoning him.
Biden noted in his remarks that Kara-Murza holds a green card and was a pallbearer with him at Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain’s funeral.
Cheers from Congress
Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, wrote in a statement that Thursday marked “a joyous and long overdue day for Paul, his family, and all who have been working tirelessly to get him back home to Michigan.”
“For the past several years, I have worked with Administration officials, my colleagues, and Paul’s family to press for his release, and I’m beyond relieved that today marks the end of this unimaginable nightmare for Paul and his loved ones,” Peters wrote. “Michigan welcomes him home with open arms.”
Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow released a written statement that Whelan’s freedom was “wonderful news.”
“After more than five years, Paul Whelan is coming home,” Stabenow wrote. “I know the past years have been excruciating for Paul and his family. I’m so glad they will be seeing Paul soon.”
Sen. Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, urged the Biden administration to secure the release of Marc Fogel from Russian prison.
“This prisoner swap is good news for Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and their families, but Marc Fogel is still sitting in a Russian prison,” Casey wrote in a statement.
“Marc Fogel is a teacher from Pittsburgh with chronic health issues whose health has declined significantly during his imprisonment,” Casey added. “His 95-year-old mother, Malphine, fears she will never see him again. As we celebrate the good news of today, we cannot forget about Marc and the Fogel family.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said in a statement he was “thrilled” the hostages were returning home but expressed concern “that continuing to trade innocent Americans for actual Russian criminals held in the U.S. and elsewhere sends a dangerous message to Putin that only encourages further hostage-taking by his regime.”
“We should also not forget those Americans who may still be held in Russia, like Marc Fogel and Ksenia Karelina, as well as those held in other countries, including Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and David Lin who are held in China, and Ryan Corbett who is held in Afghanistan,” McCaul said. “We must get all of them home to their families too.”
Sullivan said during the White House briefing that officials were “actively working” to secure the release of Fogel from Russia as well as Americans being held in Syria and Afghanistan.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin said in a statement the release of the Americans “marks a welcome end to a searing nightmare for them and their loved ones.”
“These Americans should never have endured the hardships imposed on them by the Kremlin, but thanks to the unrelenting efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration and their families, including Paul’s sister Elizabeth, Evan’s parents Ella and Mikhail, and Alsu’s husband Pavel, their ordeal has finally come to an end,” Cardin said.
The Maryland Democrat also urged “Americans considering travel to Russia, especially dual nationals, to learn from the experiences of these wrongfully detained Americans and avoid traveling to Russia.”
