Russia has agreed to release jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan in a prisoner swap, according to a report Thursday by Bloomberg News.
Bloomberg reported:
Russia is releasing Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan as part of a major prisoner swap with the US, according to people familiar with the situation.
The men, jailed in Russia on espionage charges they and the US deny, are en route to destinations outside of Russia. The US and its allies will return prisoners to Russia that they hold under the deal, the people said, asking for anonymity to discuss matters that aren’t yet public.
Last month, Russia sentenced Gerskovich to 16 years in prison on bogus espionage charges. Whelan was left behind in a previous prisoner swap to release WNBA star Brittney Griner in 2022.
It is unclear which Russian prisoners held by the U.S. were released in the exchange, or what other concessions the U.S. made for Gerskovich and Whelan’s release.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had promised to secure the prisoners’ release, threatening enemies of the U.S. in his speech to the party convention last month: “To the entire world, we want our hostages back—and they better be back before I assume office, or you will be paying a very big price.”
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