Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva Land In U.S. After Russia Prisoner Swap

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two others arrived home to the United States late Thursday night after a landmark prisoner exchange with Russia.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the group at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Those freed include former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, 54, who was arrested in 2018; Alsu Kurmasheva, 47, a Russian-American editor for Radio Free Europe, who was arrested last year; and Vladimir Kara-Murza, 42, a political activist, journalist and permanent U.S. resident who was arrested in April 2022.

Gershkovich, Whelan and Kurmasheva all touched down just after 11:30 p.m. Eastern time and were greeted by their families. Kara-Murza was scheduled to go to Germany first before coming to the U.S. at a later date.

Their release ended a years-long saga for some amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policy of hostage diplomacy. The deal, which involved seven countries, has been hailed as the largest of its size since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Russia released a total of 16 people while other nations agreed to hand over eight to Moscow, many of whom had been convicted of serious crimes. The most notorious was Vadim Kraskiov, a convicted assassin freed by Germany. He had been identified as a key piece of the puzzle by the Kremlin.

Gershkovich, 32, was arrested on allegations of espionage, charges he and the Journal fiercely denied. He was imprisoned for 16 months after being sentenced in a secret trial to 16 years in a penal colony.

His family thanked Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as “every U.S. or foreign government official who helped get Evan released.”

“We have waited 491 days for Evan’s release, and it’s hard to describe what today