Russia has released Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich and former American Marine Paul Whelan as part of a significant prisoner exchange between Moscow and the West, according to the Turkish government. The agreement, brokered by Turkey, involves seven different countries and includes 24 adults and two children.
The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) announced in a statement, “A [prisoner] exchange operation will take place today under the coordination of our organization. Our organization has taken on a substantial mediation role in this exchange operation, which is the most extensive in recent times.”
As of now, the United States has not confirmed the agreement, nor has the Wall Street Journal, which has been advocating for Gershkovich’s release. Evan Gershkovich was arrested in 2023 and accused of espionage, while Paul Whelan was detained in 2022 and subsequently sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage. The U.S. has classified both cases as “wrongfully detained.”
According to Reuters, a Russian military plane, believed to be connected to the prisoner exchange, landed in Ankara on Thursday. A previous prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S. occurred in December 2022, when American basketball player Brittney Griner returned to the United States after spending 10 months in a Russian prison. She was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner was arrested at a Russian airport that same year and later confessed to charges related to the discovery of cannabis oil in her luggage.
Relations between the U.S. and Russia have remained tense, particularly following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the U.S. and its allies have imposed sanctions on thousands of Russian targets, but Russia’s export-driven economy, valued at $2.2 trillion, has proven more resilient than either Moscow or the West had anticipated.
Further updates on the situation are expected.