Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and American veteran Paul Whelan have been released from Russian custody after a massive swap involving the United States and Russia, marking the culmination of years of diplomatic negotiations.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and American veteran Paul Whelan have been released from Russian custody after a massive swap involving the United States and Russia, a senior administration official confirmed to Fox News on Thursday morning.
Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan Freed in Russia-US Prisoner Swap
Gershkovich, 32, was arrested on March 29, 2023, while reporting on a trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg and accused of espionage. The Biden administration declared him "wrongfully detained," and The Wall Street Journal and U.S. government both emphatically denied the charges, calling them absurd on their face.
Whelan had languished in Russian custody for years. A well-placed source told Fox News that Turkish intelligence officials played a key role in mediating the prisoner swap.
Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan Freed in Russia-US Prisoner Swap
President Biden announced the release of Gershkovich, Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, an American citizen, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a green card holder, at the White House, flanked by their family members.
"Their brutal ordeal is over, and they are free," Biden said.
Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan Freed in Russia-US Prisoner Swap
The Wall Street Journal posted a triumphant picture of their newly freed colleague. Gershkovich's release comes after he was convicted in a closed court of "gathering secret information" and sentenced to 16 years at a high-security penal colony on July 19.
His conviction was widely condemned as politically motivated, and experts and officials repeatedly said his only hope for freedom was a prisoner swap after his court proceedings concluded.
Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan Freed in Russia-US Prisoner Swap
"Evan is free and on his way home," Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said in a joint statement on Thursday.
Latour and Tucker praised everyone responsible for bringing Gershkovich home, including the U.S. government, global news media organizations, and Gershkovich's vast international network of friends. They also expressed gratitude to his family for their unwavering support.
Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan Freed in Russia-US Prisoner Swap
Prior to his conviction, Gershkovich languished for months at the notorious Lefortovo prison in Moscow, which has been described as psychologically torturous. Gershkovich was the first known Western journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in post-Soviet Russia.
The American-born son of Soviet immigrants, Gershkovich had a long-standing fascination with his parents' home country. He joined The Wall Street Journal in 2022 after stints at The New York Times, Moscow Times, and Agence France-Presse.
The consequences of Gershkovich's arrest and detainment have been far-reaching, sending a chilling message to Western outlets about the risks of reporting in Russia.
The last time Russia exchanged prisoners with the U.S. was December 2022, when it freed basketball player Brittney Griner in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia for smuggling and possessing cannabis.
Fox News' Nick Kalman contributed to this report.
