U.S., Russia agree to prisoner swap to release Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and others - CBS News
By: Arden Farhi (CBSNews)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Arden Farhi, Olivia Gazis, Camilla Schick
Updated on: August 1, 2024 / 8:59 AM EDT / CBS News
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The Biden administration has agreed to a prisoner exchange with Russia and is expected to soon secure the release of three American citizens imprisoned in Russia including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan, and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, a senior administration official confirms. Others are believed to be part of the deal.
The exchange has not occurred yet but is expected later today.
Whelan and Gershkovich were both imprisoned in Russia on accusations of espionage that were consistently disputed by the United States. Kurmasheva, a dual American and Russian citizen, was detained in Russia in June of 2023 on charges of spreading false information about the Russian army.
The White House, State Department and CIA did not immediately return a request for comment.
When asked about the movement of Russian prisoners on Wednesday, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said, "I don't want to speculate on any reasoning. What I can say is that the United States continues to be focused on working around the clock to work to get our wrongfully detained American citizens home. And that continues to be the case, but no updates beyond that."
Speaking earlier this month at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the administration was "determined" to make a deal happen for Americans in Russia.
"[W]e are determined to make it happen," he said on July 19 in response to a question about Gershkovich. "And I will consider it one of the most important things between now and the end of the year, and especially now at the end of the month, for us to try to get something done where we can get him home."
Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter, was taken into Russian custody while on assignment in Yekaterinburg March 2023. Russian authorities charged him with espionage, drawing immediate condemnation from the U.S. government, which determined Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained.
Evan Gershkovich, left, and Paul Whelan in photos from Russian court appearances. Left: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images; Right: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
In July, Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court. The U.S. called his hurried trial "a sham."
Paul Whelan, a Marine veteran, was arrested in December 2018 when he was traveling in Russia to attend a friend's wedding. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.
Whelan and his family have vehemently denied the espionage allegations against him and said he was being used as a political pawn by Russia. Whelan was left out of several previous prisoner swaps with Russia under both the Trump and Biden administrations.
Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, whose office was an integral part of the team involved in negotiations, said at the Aspen conference on July 17, "I know Evan and Paul will come home to the United States and step onto U.S. soil."
"I just don't know when," he added.
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It will be interesting to see how Trump will try to take credit for this.
And it will be interesting to see how the left tries to give Biden all the credit for this since it is a 5 country arrangement including Germany and 3 other Western countries, along with the US.
You don't think Biden should get the credit for the US involvement???
Given the uncertainty of our 2024 election, Putin might want to hit the “reset” button that Hillary gave them to hedge their bet.
Sigh......"ALL the credit is what i wrote.
Depends on what he gave up this time?
Do we have another "Merchant of Death" to give away?
I am assuming we just don't grab visiting Russians off the street to hold for this type of situation- so just why type of criminal(s) did Biden given up this time?
So should Biden get ALL the credit for the American side of the deal? Next, show me where he has been given ALL the credit.
The real question will be if Putin is getting his assassins returned.
That was why Putin held these people in the first place.
Americans should stop traveling to Russia.
I wonder who/what we are giving them back?
Germany is giving them a Murderer, and everybody is being released to Germany, Glad the Americans are coming home.
An assassin.
The question of the day!