Russia and the United States have agreed to swap prisoners in an extraordinary multipart deal, according to a senior Biden administration official.
The swap will allow the two wrongfully detained American citizens held by Moscow, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, to return home.
Gershkovich, 32, was arrested by Russian authorities in March 2023 for espionage, a charge he and U.S. officials flatly deny, with President Joe Biden saying Gershkovich was targeted for being a journalist and an American.
After an unusually hasty trial that played out behind closed doors, Gershkovich was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony.
Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Irish and Canadian citizenship, was arrested in December 2018 while traveling on an American passport in Russia and also accused of espionage.
Both the Biden and Trump administrations denied the allegation against Whelan. He was convicted on the charges in June 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison, ultimately serving five.
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.
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In July, Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court. The U.S. called his hurried trial "a sham."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
In July, Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court. The U.S. called his hurried trial "a sham."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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