Russia to free incarcerated WSJ reporter in prisoner swap

Russia has agreed to a prisoner swap with the U.S. and allies that includes freeing Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich after he was detained and convicted in the country over accusations of espionage, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

Former U.S. marine Paul Whelan and British activist Vladimir Kara-Murza are also set to be released in the deal, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Gershkovich was charged with espionage in 2023 and was sentenced to 16 years in prison, but the U.S. has maintained that he was wrongly imprisoned by the Russian government, denying allegations of spying.

The exchange involves a total of 26 people from seven countries, including the U.S., Russia, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Belarus, according to Turkish officials who spoke to Axios. Just three Americans are involved in the exchange, while 13 others are to be transferred to Germany and 10 are to be returned to Russia.

Gershkovich’s conviction marked the first time since the Cold War that an American reporter was put on trial for espionage in Russia. The WSJ reporter was first arrested in March 2023 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Kara-Murza, who holds dual citizenship in Russia, was handed a record 25-year sentence after being convicted of treason in Russia due to his repeated criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Bloomberg. Whelan was first detained in 2018 and was also convicted on espionage charges, receiving a 16-year sentence.

Whelan criticized the Biden administration in June over its lack of action and pleaded with the U.S. to pressure Russia into releasing him and Gershkovich after he had already been imprisoned for 2,000 days at that point.

“The US needs to go out and do something — fill up Guantanamo Bay with Russian officials, arrest Russian spies, do something that makes the Kremlin sit up and take notice and say, ‘Okay, yeah, right, now it’s time that we’re gonna get Evan and Paul back and then we want back what you’ve got of ours, and we’ll call it a day,” Whelan previously told CNN.

The Department of State did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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