How Evan Gershkovich Was Freed in 19 Incredible Pictures

Three Americans, including journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, as well as corporate security chief Paul Whelan, returned to U.S. soil overnight after a historic prisoner exchange with Russia.

The exchange involving 24 people, the largest since the post-Soviet era, took place despite heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow over the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Emotional reunion in Maryland

The freed Americans arrived at AFB Andrews in Maryland shortly before midnight and were greeted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and their families.

President Biden hailed the release as a significant diplomatic victory, saying, “Agreements like this come with tough decisions… Nothing matters more to me than protecting Americans at home and abroad.”

Taken captive

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in Russia in March 2023 on espionage charges that he and the U.S. government deny.

Whelan, who has been detained since 2018, has also been charged with espionage, and Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was convicted in July of spreading false information about the Russian military.

The exchange also included the release of several Russian dissidents, such as Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, human rights activist Oleg Orlov and Ukraine war opponent Ilya Yashin.

The deal, however, required concessions from European allies, including the release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian assassin serving a life sentence in Germany. He had been convicted of killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park two years earlier, apparently on the orders of Moscow’s security services.

Negotiations begin

Negotiations over the swap began amid tensions between the United States and Russia. Initially, there had been talk of including Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in the swap, but his death in February shifted the focus to the deal involving 24 people.

This exchange required a significant diplomatic effort, with the participation of six countries.

Shadow Diplomacy

Behind-the-scenes communications played a critical role in the success of the negotiations. According to multiple reports, secret talks took place in various locations, including in Ankara, Turkey, where the final deal was negotiated. These discussions allowed negotiators to bypass official diplomatic channels, allowing for more frank discussions about possible concessions and compromises.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan played a key role in the negotiations, leading a team that engaged in numerous rounds of dialogue with his Russian counterparts. Sullivan described the process as “the culmination of many rounds of complex and painstaking negotiations over many, many months.”

A diplomatic feat

Biden touted the exchange, by far the most significant in a series of exchanges with Russia, as a diplomatic feat as he welcomed the families of the returning Americans to the White House.

“Today is a powerful example of why it is essential to have friends in this world,” the president said.

Concerns and criticisms

While the swap was hailed for bringing back unjustly detained Americans, it also drew criticism because it could incite future hostage-takings.

Critics say such deals could encourage adversaries to use American citizens as bargaining chips, the Associated Press reported. But Roger Carstens, the U.S. government’s top hostage negotiator, defended the strategy, noting that such swaps have led to fewer Americans wrongfully detained abroad.

It is also true that the deal, like others before it, reflected an innate imbalance: The United States and its allies abandoned Russians accused or convicted of serious crimes in exchange for Russia’s release of journalists, dissidents and others imprisoned by the country’s highly politicized justice system on charges the West viewed as trumped-up.

The Biden administration has now repatriated more than 70 Americans held in other countries under agreements.

Reunited with their families

The Gershkovich family said in a statement released by The Wall Street Journal:“We can’t wait to give him the biggest hug and see his sweet, brave smile up close.”

Whelan’s family said in a statement: “Paul Whelan is free. Our family is grateful to the United States government for making Paul’s release a reality.”

The three men flew from Maryland to Texas and landed at Joint Base San Antonio early Friday to begin medical evaluations.