Wall Street Journalist and Marine Veteran Released from Russian Prisons in One of the Largest Prisoner Swaps Since the Cold War

The US and Russia conducted a prisoner swap involving twenty-four people, one of the largest since the end of the Cold War. This secured the release of Americans Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva from Russian detention. In exchange for the Americans, Russia received eight of its nationals held in US prisons including those convicted of espionage. Other countries like Slovenia and Poland also exchanged prisoners with Russia. Gershkovich is a Wall Street Journal reporter who was sentenced to 16 years for espionage. Whelan is a Marine veteran detained since 2018 and sentenced to 16 years also for espionage. Kurmasheva is a journalist who was sentenced for spreading misinformation.