American journalist Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan were among four former prisoners released from Russia yesterday who finally set foot on American soil Thursday evening.
A plane carrying Americans freed by Russia in the massive prisoner swap landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, greeted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the tarmac.
“Welcome home,” Biden told reporters on the tarmac after visiting the released prisoners. “Nothing is beyond our capabilities if we work together. Nothing… we are the United States of America.”
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE PRISONER SWAP TO FREE WSJ JOURNALIST EVAN GERSHKOVICH FROM A RUSSIAN PRISON
Evan Gershkovich, followed by his mother Ella Milman, smiles as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 1, 2024. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, veteran Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva were the three Americans released, along with U.S. green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza.
The four released prisoners did not speak to reporters, but were greeted and embraced by their loved ones. Gershkovich was seen hugging several people, many of whom were believed to be Wall Street Journal colleagues. The newly released prisoners are now scheduled to fly to San Antonio, Texas, for further medical evaluation.
Speaking to reporters, Harris stepped in and said: “This is an extraordinary day. I’m so grateful for our president and what he’s done. This is an incredible day, and it shows in the families.”
WHITE HOUSE TAKES FULL CREDIT FOR RELEASE OF AMERICANS HELD IN RUSSIA: ‘VINTAGE JOE BIDEN’
President Joe Biden greets Paul Whelan, who was released from Russian custody, upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., August 1, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
Gershkovich, a 32-year-old reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was arrested on March 29, 2023, while reporting on a trip to the Ural Mountain city of Yekaterinburg. He was charged with espionage.
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Whelan was jailed in December 2018 on espionage charges that he and the U.S. government have contested from the start.
In the 24-prisoner exchange between several countries, Russia negotiated the release of eight prisoners held by the United States in exchange for the release of the Americans.
The released prisoners who were previously held in the United States are Vadim Krasikov of Germany, Artem Viktorovich Dultsev of Slovenia, Anna Valerevna Dultseva of Slovenia, Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin of Norway, Pavel Alekseyevich Rubtsov of Poland, Roman Seleznev of the United States, Vladislav Klyushin of the United States and Vadim Konoshchenock of the United States.
