Three Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who were freed in a prisoner exchange agreement with Russia, have returned to U.S. soil.
Gershkovic, 32, was one of 16 prisoners exchanged with eight Russian prisoners in what has been called the largest exchange between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War.
The Turkish airport exchange also included the release of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Arsu Kurmasheva.
After landing at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Gershkovic, Kurmasheva and Whelan stepped off the plane to cheers on the tarmac.
Getty ImagesAll three were greeted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris before each hugging their families.
They lingered on the tarmac taking photos and talking before leaving the air base within an hour, as did Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris’ motorcade.
Ahead of their return, Mr Biden welcomed their release, declaring: “Their brutal ordeal is over.”
He praised the role of U.S. allies, especially Germany and Slovenia, and praised Whelan, Gershkovic, Kurmasheva and the Kremlin’s leading critic Vladimir Karamur Zha’s release was a “feat of diplomacy”.
The three released Americans will be flown to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas for medical examination.
The deal, which has been in the works for more than 18 months, appears to hinge on Moscow’s demand for Vadim Krasikov’s repatriation. life imprisonment.
He is now back in Russia.
The Turkish president said Ankara exchanged a total of 26 prisoners from prisons in seven different countries.
The prisoners come from the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus, the statement said.
Ten people, including two minors, were transferred to Russia, 13 prisoners to Germany and three to the United States, the statement added.
American governmentIn Russia, President Vladimir Putin personally laid flowers to the released Russians at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.
He embraced them warmly on the red carpet and said he would present them with national awards.
In addition to Krasikov, among those who returned to Moscow was a Russian couple convicted of espionage in Slovenia who returned to Russia with their two children.
NATO and the European Union both welcomed the release, which they said was brokered by Türkiye.
Getty ImagesThe exchange came after days of speculation about a major exchange between the countries, which increased after several jailed dissidents and journalists in Russia were moved from their cells to unknown locations.
While secret prison transfers are common in Russia, the multiple disappearances of high-profile prisoners are unusual.
The most recent high-profile prisoner exchange occurred in December 2022, when American basketball star Britney Griner swapped On the tarmac of Abu Dhabi airport, notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout spent 12 years in a U.S. prison.
this The last similar event was held in Vienna in 2010the 10 Russian spies imprisoned in the United States at the time were replaced by 4 suspected double agents imprisoned in Russia.
One of them was Sergei Skripal, a former military intelligence officer who was later poisoned. Nerve agent Novichok, in Salisbury, 2018.
Tensions between Moscow and the West have been high in recent years, especially since Russia invades Ukraine February 2022.
