Russia frees WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich in prisoner swap with US

The Insider, an independent media outlet covering Russia, reported that Russia has also released Lilia Chanysheva, Ilya Yashin, Ksenia Fadeeva, Andrei Pivovarov, Oleg Orlov, Sasha Skocilenko, Dieter Voronin, Kevin Lick, Rico Krieger, Patrick Schöbel, Herman Moyzhes, and Vadim Ostanin.

In return eight prisoners — Vadim Krasikov, Artem Dulcev, Anna Dulceva, Mikhail Mikushin, Pavel Rubtsov, Roman Seleznev, Vladislav Klyushin, and Vadim Konoshenko — were released to Russia, The Insider said. The US has confirmed the number but not the list of names.

The last known US-Russia prisoner swap was in 2022, when Russia released WNBA star Brittney Griner in exchange for Viktor Bout, one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers. Griner was jailed for having legally prescribed cannabis-oil vape cartridges in her luggage at a Russian airport; Bout was known as the “Merchant of Death” for allegedly selling weapons to al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and militants in Rwanda.

The deal was “a feat of diplomacy,” that compounded the importance of having allies, Biden said in remarks at the White House. He commended the “bold and brave decisions” made by Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey, noting that Germany had to make “significant concessions” to help the US achieve the deal. Germany asked for “nothing” in return, Biden said.

“Today is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world, friends you can trust work with and depend on,” he said.

Biden said he and the families of the prisoners spoke with their loved ones from the Oval Office on Thursday. “Welcome almost home,” the president told them.

He added that he would not stop working until all Americans wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world are returned home.

Without overtly commenting on the swap, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state-run media Thursday that “I believe that all our enemies should stay there [abroad], and all those who are not our enemies should return.” Peskov said he hoped to speak directly on the swap later Thursday.

“Let the traitors now feverishly pick up new names and actively disguise themselves under witness protection programmes,” Former president Dmitry Medvedev said.

The swap could indicate that Russia and the West are ready to negotiate in other areas, Russian diplomat Sergei Ordzhonikidze told state media.

“This is a kind of signal that both sides are ready for action, perhaps for some serious political negotiations,” Ordzhonikidze said. “Such gestures are made before that. Such a development of events is possible.“

Officials involved went to “great efforts to keep the information inside Russia as much a secret as possible until the last moment,” a source told the Politika.Kozlov Substack ahead of the swap, but speculation of an exchange grew this week after several jailed dissidents and journalists were moved from their prison cells to unknown locations.

Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency said Thursday that it was coordinating the swap, Reuters reported, which it said was set to include 26 prisoners from the United States, Russia, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus. Turkey said ten prisoners would be sent back to Russia, while 13 would be sent to Germany and three to the US.

“The German government did not take this decision lightly,” a spokesperson for the federal government said in a statement, adding that the nation’s interest in enforcing prison sentences for those convicted was ultimately “offset by the freedom, physical well-being and — in some cases — ultimately the lives of innocent people imprisoned in Russia and those wrongfully imprisoned for political reasons.”

“Our obligation to protect German citizens and solidarity with the United States were important motivators,” the statement said.

Morgan Chalfant contributed to this report.