Jailed U.S. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among 24 prisoners from the United States, Russia, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Belarus being freed in a major east-west exchange on Thursday. Here is the latest:
Biden: ‘Wonderful’ to Greet Freed Americans
President Joe Biden said it “feels wonderful” to welcome the freed Americans to U.S. soil.
And he gave giving special credit to the cooperation of nations including Germany and Slovenia for helping to make the global prisoner swap work, saying they agreed to difficult things that were “against their self-interests.”
Speaking on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Biden rejected the idea that such swaps could lead to other Americans being detained. “I don’t buy this idea of … let these people rot in jail because other people may be captured,” the president said.
Vice President Kamala Harris called the deal an “extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy.”
American Ex-prisoners Freed From Russia Greeted by Families, Biden, and Harris
Three Americans stepped off a plane and touched U.S. soil for the first time since they were freed in a complex 24-person prisoner exchange with Russia.
Journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, along with fellow American Paul Whelan, landed shortly before midnight at a U.S. air base outside Washington.
There were hugs and handshakes all around and even some squeals of joy as Biden, Harris and family members welcomed them.
Americans Freed by Russia Arrive in US
A plane carrying three Americans freed in a prisoner swap with Russia after years in captivity has landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland late Thursday evening.
The jet touched down shortly before midnight at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and relatives of the former prisoners waited to greet them.
The Americans landed nearly 12 hours after leaving Turkey, where they were among 24 exchanged in the largest post-Soviet prisoner swap. They were shown smiling on board the jet in a photo released by the White House.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz Welcomes Freed Prisoners in Germany
Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed Germans and Russians freed in the prisoner swap to Germany and said he had “very moving” conversations with them.
Scholz said after they landed at Cologne/Bonn Airport late Thursday that “all arrived safe and sound” and they will undergo health checks in the coming days.
“Many did not expect this to happen now and are still full of the feelings that are connected with suddenly being free,” he said, adding that “many feared for their health and their lives.”
The 16 prisoners freed by Russia and Belarus included five German citizens, and the deal involved Germany deporting to Russia Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life prison sentence for what judges concluded was a Russian state-ordered killing in Berlin in 2019.
Scholz said: “I think this is the right decision. And if you had any doubts, then you lose them after speaking with those who are now free.”
The German leader said it was “a special moment for me, a moment that certainly has also very much intensified the friendship between the U.S and Germany.”
Gershkovich Family Says They ‘Can’t Wait to Give Him the Biggest Hug’
The family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich says in a statement that they “can’t wait give him the biggest hug and see his sweet and brave face up close.”
The family says that no one should have to go through what they did and that it’s hard to describe what it feels like to have their son come home.
Harris Applauds ‘Incredible Courage’ of Formerly Detained Americans
Vice President Harris told reporters that the newly released Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich, and U.S. green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza showed “incredible courage” after being “unjustly held in Russia.”
Harris said she also spoke on Thursday with Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Navalny died while imprisoned by the Russian government. As part of the swap, three people who worked with him were also released.
Harris told reporters before boarding her plane in Houston that she told Navalnaya, “The United States stands with all of those who are fighting for freedom in Russia.”
White House Releases Photo of Newly Freed Americans
Three newly freed Americans are shown smiling widely in a photo made public after their release from Russian custody Thursday.
The photo, given to news outlets by the White House, shows Americans Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Paul Whelan in a plane following their release in a complex multinational prisoner exchange with Russia.
All three are smiling and appear far more relaxed than in a video released by Russian security services just hours earlier, where they were still being transferred into American hands.
The White House gave no details on the circumstances of the photo. It shows other unidentified people holding an American flag just behind them.
Putin Greets Ex-prisoners in Moscow
President Vladimir Putin met the returning ex-prisoners on the tarmac of Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport as they descended from their plane. Putin stood at the foot of the mobile stairs and briefly embraced each returnee.
The group then moved into the terminal, where Putin made brief remarks. “You will all be nominated for state awards. We will see each other again and talk about your future. Now, I want to congratulate you on your return to your homeland,” he said.
Biden Thanks Turkish President for Help in ‘Smooth’ Exchange
In a rare telephone conversation, President Joe Biden thanked Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his role in facilitating a “smooth” prisoner exchange, according to a statement from Erdogan’s office.
The Biden administration has kept a distance toward the Turkish leader and interactions between the two presidents have been infrequent.
The statement said the two also discussed U.S.-Turkish relations and the war in Gaza, with Erdogan telling Biden that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has shown “with every step” that it does not want a cease-fire.
German Chancellor Says Release of Krasikov Was ‘Difficult Decision’
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the wide-ranging prisoner exchange between Russia and the West “in some cases saved the health and life” of the people who were freed.
Scholz interrupted his vacation to travel to Cologne/Bonn Airport, where he plans to greet released German and Russian citizens.
A central part of the swap was the release of Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for what judges concluded was a Russian state-ordered killing in Berlin in 2019. Scholz told reporters that the “difficult decision” was made by his coalition government “after careful consideration.” He said that “no one made this decision lightly to deport a murderer sentenced to life imprisonment after only a few years in detention.”
Scholz said it was important “that we have a duty of protection toward German citizens, as well as our solidarity with the U.S.”
He said that both he and German opposition leader Friedrich Merz agreed with the decision.
White House Flies Flag Recognizing Wrongfully Detained Americans
It is the first time such a flag has been flown on the White House grounds.
The flag symbolizes other Americans who continue to be held hostage or are wrongfully detained abroad, according to the White House. It underscores the administration’s “enduring commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our fellow Americans, and our sacred vow to continue working tirelessly until every American is accounted for and returns safely back home.”
Norway Confirms Its Part in Prisoner Exchange
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre confirmed the prisoner exchange that includes Mikhail Mikushin, a suspected senior officer of Russian military intelligence GRU who was arrested in the Arctic city of Tromso by the Nordic country’s domestic security agency in October 2022.
“The exchange has been made possible through extensive international cooperation,” Støre said in a statement. “For the Norwegian authorities, it has been important to contribute in such cooperation with our close allies. A close collaboration across several countries has made this possible.”
Mikushin, who had entered Norway in 2021 as an academic researcher under a false Brazilian name and identity, was suspected by Norwegian authorities of being a spy for the Russian intelligence services and was later charged with espionage.
Before his arrest, Mikushin had acted, using an alias of “José Assis Giammaria”, as a guest lecturer at Tromsoe’s Arctic University of Norway, focusing on researching the northern regions and hybrid threats.
How the Swap Itself Worked
The Turkish government has released some details on the execution of the swap that took place at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. A statement from the Turkish president’s office stated that after arriving in Turkey the individuals involved were removed from their aircraft under the supervision of agents of the Turkish National Intelligence Agency, or MIT, and moved to “secure areas.”
Following the approval of the exchange by the countries involved in the swap deal, the hostages received health checks and had their other needs addressed.
They were then escorted onto the aircraft that would take them to their respective destinations.
The planes were then given clearance to depart following authorization from MIT.
Biden, Harris to Join Families as They Reunite With Their Loved Ones This Evening
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will join the families of Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington this evening to welcome them back to U.S. soil.
That’s according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was also released from Russia in the swap, will be returning to Germany but told Biden on a call today that he hopes to visit the U.S. soon.
Biden Broke News of Exchange to Relatives of American Detainees
Biden invited relatives of the detained Americans into the Oval Office as the United States received word that the prisoners had been swapped in Turkey, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
“He was able to give them the news directly that the exchange was complete,” Sullivan said of Biden.
Biden then made two calls, one to Americans Gershkovich, Kurmasheva and Whelan and the other to Kara-Murza, a dual Russian-U.K. citizen. Each of the family members was able to talk to their relatives, Sullivan said.
Biden told the former prisoners he “welcomed their freedom” and said on behalf of the American people that “he was so proud to have them out.”
Biden also reminisced with Kara-Murza about serving as pallbearers together at the 2018 funeral for former U.S. Sen. John McCain.
US National Security Advisor Says the Swap’s ‘Benefit Outweighs the Risk’
The United States believes the benefit of securing the release of wrongfully detained Americans outweighed the risk of incentivizing American adversaries from taking additional prisoners as leverage, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday.
Sullivan acknowledged that “It is difficult to send back a convicted criminal to secure the release of an innocent American,” saying it’s a question U.S. policymakers “grapple with every time” a prisoner swap deal is discussed.
Sullivan says the United States conducted an assessment and determined that the “benefit outweighs the risk.”
Sullivan says Roger Carsten, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, conducted an analysis that suggests Americans are at no greater risk for being detained when the U.S. makes deals to secure their release.
Poland’s Part in the prisoner exchange
The prisoner released by Poland, Pavel Rubtsov, has been known since his arrest more than two years ago as Pablo Gonzalez, a journalist working for Spanish media.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk thanked Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Polish security services for their work, which led to part of the exchange.
“The prisoner exchange operation has just ended, thanks to which Russian opposition heroes and citizens of NATO countries detained in Russia left Russia. The action was possible thanks to the involvement of our state. I would like to thank the President and the services for their exemplary cooperation,” Tusk wrote on X.
Poland’s Internal Security Agency said in March 2022 that they arrested a Spanish citizen of Russian origin on espionage charges the night of Feb. 27-28, 2022, in the border town of Przemysl, and read him “the charge of participating in foreign intelligence activities against Poland.”
The agency said, “He carried out activities on behalf of Russia using his status as a journalist. This allowed him to move freely around Europe and the world, including to zones of armed conflict and regions of political tension.”
US Senators React to Prisoner Exchange
Republicans in the Senate welcomed the news but also pointed out the deal came at a cost for the United States.
Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement, “While I am glad to see the return of these wrongfully detained Americans, we must not forget those who were left behind: Marc Fogel and Ksenia Karelina. The United States paid a steep price for this exchange, as those returning to Russia are some of Putin’s most valuable assets who will be glad to return to their villainous ways.”
Meanwhile, Democrats also lauded the Biden administration for including Russian opposition leaders in the release.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said it “speaks to a very smart policy by this administration to of course prioritize Americans, but also realize that we can’t stand up for democracy globally if we are not supporting freedom fighters inside places like Russia.”
Biden Pays Respect to Families of Those Formerly Detained
During his speech, Biden took Elizabeth Whelan’s hand and said she’d practically been living at the White House as they tried to free Paul.
He then motioned for Alsu Kurmasheva’s daughter Miriam to come closer, and took her hand, telling the room it was her 13th birthday before asking everyone to sing “Happy Birthday” with him. The teen was emotional as Biden hugged her across the shoulders with one arm and wiped away a tear after she walked away.
“Now she gets to celebrate with her mom,” Biden said. “That’s what this is all about—families able to be together again. Like they should have been all along.”
Family of Detained Former Marine Thanks Public Officials, Journalists, and Ordinary Letter Writers
The family of a former Marine is thanking everyone from top U.S. officials to GoFundMe donors and fellow military vets for his release from Russian detention after 2,043 days.
Paul Whelan’s family issued the statement Thursday after confirming the former Marine was among those coming home.
The family used the opportunity to thank President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. But they also expressed gratitude to Washington insiders, ordinary letter writers, and journalists who all helped keep up the pressure for Whelan’s release.
In the statement, the family notes that Whelan lost his home and his job while wrongfully held by Russia.
“We are unsure how someone overcomes these losses and rejoins society after being a hostage,” his family wrote.
What Are Germany’s ‘Serious Concessions’?
The German government says it didn’t take lightly the decision to free Vadim Krasikov, convicted of carrying out a Russian-ordered murder in Berlin in 2019.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, said in a statement Friday that the release of 15 people held “wrongfully” in Russia and a German held in Belarus could only be achieved by deporting Russians “with an intelligence background” held in Europe such as Krasikov.
Hebestreit said that “the German government did not take this decision lightly.” He added that “the freedom, physical well-being and—in some cases—ultimately the life of innocent people imprisoned in Russia and unjustly held political prisoners stood against the state’s interest in the enforcement of the prison sentence of convicted criminal.”
Hebestreit said that “our obligation to protect German citizens and solidarity with the U.S. were important motivations.”
Biden Acknowledges ‘Serious Concessions From Germany’ in Prisoner Exchange
Biden credited U.S. allies for the prisoner swap, saying it’s “a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world.”
“For anyone who questions whether allies matter, they do,” Biden said. “They matter.”
But he also acknowledged that such prisoner swaps “come with tough calls.”
The president said that he has a great sense of gratitude to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The deal, he said, “required me to get some serious concessions from Germany.”
Wall Street Journal Celebrates Gershkovich’s Release
Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker says Gershkovich has walked free from a Russian plane and will soon board a flight home to the United States.
“I cannot even begin to describe the immense happiness and relief that this news brings and I know all of you will feel the same,” Tucker wrote in a note to the staff obtained by the AP. “This is a day of great joy for Evan and his family, and a historic day for The Wall Street Journal.”
Wall Street Journal reporters broke into applause after his release was announced in the New York newsroom. Gershkovich’s photo was projected onto a screen along with #IStandWithEvan, the hashtag supporters around the world used to call for his freedom.
International Reactions to Prisoner Swap
Here are some international reactions to Thursday’s East-West prisoner exchange:
Germany
Germany, confirming the release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian convicted of the murder in 2019 of a former Chechen militant in Berlin, said it was “not an easy decision.”
“Our obligation to protect German nationals and our solidarity with the USA were important motivations,” the government said in a statement.
Yulia Navalnaya
Many of those freed had worked with the late Alexei Navalny, Russia’s leading opposition figure. His widow Yulia Navalnaya said the releases were “a great happiness.”
“Every released political prisoner is a huge victory and joy. No one should be held hostage by Putin, tortured and die in Putin’s prison,” she wrote on X.
Russia
The Kremlin, speaking on the day of the exchange, said it hoped those who had left Russia, whom it described as “enemies,” would stay away, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
UK
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday welcomed the release of a number of prisoners from Russia including dual Russian-British dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, who had been jailed on treason charges for 25 years.
“I welcome the release of a number of prisoners held in Russia, including Vladimir Kara-Murza, Paul Whelan, and Evan Gershkovich,” Starmer said on X.
“We will continue to call on Russia to uphold freedom of political expression.”
Biden Addresses the Nation
President Joe Biden addressed the nation on the release of Americans detained in Russia at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday.
“Today is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world,” he said in an address from the White House while joined by families of four—three Americans and one green card holder—who were released.
Biden said it was a “feat of diplomacy” that brought home Whelan, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, and Kara-Murza. He said multiple countries worked together to get it done.
Biden said he and the families had spoken to their relatives by phone from the Oval Office minutes before his address. Biden called the release an “incredible relief” for the families and a feat of diplomacy.
Biden said the work to bring home those wrongfully detained began during his transition into the presidency. And he said his administration has brought home 70 Americans, “many since before I took office.”
Biden Releases Statement on Prisoner Swap
Biden has released a statement following the massive prisoner swap between Russia and the West.
Biden’s full statement as follows:
“Today, three American citizens and one American green-card holder who were unjustly imprisoned in Russia are finally coming home: Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza.
“The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy. 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. Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over.
“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.
“And 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. My Administration has now brought home over 70 such Americans, many of whom were in captivity since before I took office. Still, too many families are suffering and separated from their loved ones, and I have no higher priority as President than bringing those Americans home.
“Today, we celebrate the return of Paul, Evan, Alsu, and Vladimir and rejoice with their families. We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world. And reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”
Who’s Part of the Prisoner Swap Between Russia and the West?
A look at some of those released Thursday in the largest East-West civilian prisoner swap since the Cold War:
Released by Russia and Belarus
Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was detained in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in March 2023. Without providing evidence, authorities accused him of “gathering secret information” at the CIA’s behest about a military equipment factory—an allegation that Gershkovich, his employer, and the U.S. government vehemently denied. Jailed since then, a court convicted Gershkovich, 32, of espionage in July after a closed trial and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.
Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, was arrested in 2018 in Moscow, where he was attending a friend’s wedding. He was accused of espionage, convicted in 2020, and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Whelan, 54, has rejected the charges as fabricated.
Ilya Yashin is a prominent Kremlin critic who was serving an 8 1/2-year sentence for criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine. Yashin, a former member of a Moscow municipal council, was one of the few well-known opposition activists to stay in Russia since the war.
Rico Krieger, a German medical worker, was convicted in Belarus of terrorism charges in June, and sentenced to death. He was pardoned Tuesday by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Released by Germany
Vadim Krasikov was convicted in 2021 of shooting to death Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity, in a Berlin park. The German judges concluded it was an assassination ordered by the Russian security services. Krasikov, 58, was sentenced to life imprisonment. President Vladimir Putin this year hinted at a possible swap for Krasikov.
WSJ Reporter Gershkovich, Former US Marine Whelan Freed in Prisoner Swap
Jailed U.S. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among two dozen detainees from the United States, Russia and a number of their allies freed on Thursday in the biggest prisoner exchange since the Cold War.
The White House said the United States had negotiated the complex trade with Russia and other countries. It said eight prisoners held in the West were being sent back to Russia.
Germany confirmed that they included Vadim Krasikov, convicted of murdering an exiled dissident in Berlin.
Turkey, which coordinated the exchange, said 10 prisoners, including two minors, had been moved to Russia, 13 to Germany, and three to the United States. Also involved in the swap were Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Belarus.
“After the completion of the ratification procedures of the parties, the health checks … the prisoners were placed on the planes of the countries to which they would be travelling with the approval and instructions of the MIT,” the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) said in a statement.
It said it had authorized the return of the aircraft.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not specifically confirm a swap but was quoted by the state news agency TASS as saying that, in principle, “all our enemies should stay there [abroad], and all those who are not our enemies should return.”
In the last major exchange in 2010, 14 prisoners were exchanged.
In December 2022, Russia traded U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, sentenced to nine years for having vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, for arms dealer Viktor Bout, serving a 25-year sentence in the United States.
Krasikov is a colonel in the Russian FSB security service who was serving a life sentence in Germany for murdering an exiled Chechen-Georgian dissident in a Berlin park. President Vladimir Putin had indicated he wanted him back.
Rico Krieger, a German sentenced to death in Belarus on terrorism charges, was pardoned on Tuesday by President Alexander Lukashenko, a close Putin ally. He was also among those released, along with Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin, Turkey said.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.