Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan among Americans freed from Russian custody in prisoner swap (2024)

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was detained in Russia in March 2023 on espionage charges that the newspaper and U.S. government say are false. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, has been detained in Russia since 2018.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

In one of the largest prisoner swaps between the United States and Russia since the end of the Cold War, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan are among several prisoners being released by Russia. Now, in exchange, several other Russian prisoners held by the United States and countries throughout Europe are reportedly being prepared to be released to Moscow. Joining us now to talk about this is NPR Central Europe correspondent Rob Schmitz, who joins us from Berlin. Rob, let's start with the Americans, Gershkovich and Whelan, reportedly on their way home. How did this happen?

ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE: Yeah, the U.S. has long sought their freedom, saying both men were wrongfully detained on drummed-up espionage charges, making offer after offer to the Kremlin, all to no avail. But then something seemed to change in the last few weeks. Gershkovich saw his trial on espionage charges suddenly expedited. He was convicted and given a sentence of 16 years in prison last month. But the hope was that this was opening the door a little to a potential trade. Then Paul Whelan, the former Marine convicted of espionage in 2018, went missing from his prison yesterday, another sign that something was up. Next thing we know, they're reportedly on a Russian state plane on their way to what is turning out to be an historic prisoner exchange with the West.

MARTÍNEZ: And Gershkovich and Whelan aren't the only Americans.

SCHMITZ: That's right. At this hour, we've seen reports that Alsu Kurmasheva, an American reporter for Radio Free Europe, who had just been sentenced to more than six years in prison in Russia, is on her way to being released, as is U.S. permanent resident Vladimir Kara-Murza, a British-Russian politician who was also a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist with the Washington Post. He was in jail for criticizing the war in Ukraine. We're also seeing reports that around a dozen German nationals, all political prisoners in Russia, will also be released and return to Germany under this deal.

MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's the American end of things. Who did Russia get in return?

SCHMITZ: Yeah, the most high-profile prisoner is Victor (ph) Krasikov. He's a suspected Russian state assassin who is serving a life sentence here in Germany. President Putin had made it clear he wanted Krasikov as part of a deal with Gershkovich. Meanwhile, from the U.S., the Russians included in the deal were there for money laundering, hacking, and sanctions evasion.

MARTÍNEZ: Now, with the why-now question, Rob, it always seems to be tinged with a little politics. So why now?

SCHMITZ: (Laughter) That's right. That is the big question, particularly given that the U.S. is closing in on elections. This deal would seem to be a big win for the Biden-Harris administration, but Putin could have easily waited a few months to see if maybe Donald Trump emerged victorious. You know, it's possible here, though, that the answer lies in the European component to all of this, and how a potential Trump administration, with its Euro-skeptic outlook, could complicate a potential deal, especially with Germany, who was holding, at least in Vladimir Putin's eyes, the most valuable Russian prisoner. You know, another factor was that there was a renewed focus, especially in the West, but also in Europe, in particular, on the fate of Russian political prisoners after the death of Russia's most famous one, Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic colony in February amid rumors he was to be part of a prisoner exchange involving the U.S. and Germany. There was a real fear there that a similar fate awaited other prisoners.

MARTÍNEZ: Quickly, Rob, it's just - sounds like it's overall a good day.

SCHMITZ: It is, yes. Well, a lot of people would argue that these people shouldn't have been there in the first place, but there's going to be a lot of joy deservedly over the release of these individuals, but there are others who did not make this cut that remain in jail, so their ordeal continues.

MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Central Europe correspondent Rob Schmitz, joining us from Berlin. Rob, thanks.

SCHMITZ: Thank you.

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