Russia releases Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan in important exchange of prisoners with United States.

Russia releases Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan:

President Biden announced on Thursday that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan were part of a significant prisoner swap involving Russia, the U.S. and Germany.

Why it is important: The exchange is one of the biggest between Moscow and Western countries since the Cold War.

As part of the agreement Russia also freed Alsu Kurmasheva a dual citizen of the United States and Russia who works as a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She was accused of not registering as a foreign agent, although she was not convicted.

The Wall Street Journal stated that Russia releases Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan at approximately 11 am ET in an Ankara airport in Turkey.

Leading the headlines: Gershkovich, the initial American journalist to face trial in Russia post Cold War, received a 16-year prison term on July 19 for alleged espionage during a reporting mission in Yekaterinburg.

The accusations of espionage have been criticized by both the WSJ and the U.S. government.

Whelan who had been in custody since December 2018, was also behind bars for a 16-year prison term based on accusations of espionage that he, his family, and the U.S. have all declared as untrue.

Evan Gershkovich was incarcerated for a period of 16 months prior to being set free. Whelan was incarcerated for over five years.

What was stated: According to Biden, the exchange was characterized as a “diplomatic achievement” in a statement.

The president expressed his gratitude towards our Allies like Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey for their support during challenging negotiations that led to this result.

This is a strong illustration of the importance of having trustworthy and reliable friends in this world. “Our partnerships increase the safety of Americans.”

According to Turkish security sources who spoke with Axios on Thursday Turkey managed the exchange of 26 individuals, with 24 of them being imprisoned in seven different countries: the U.S., Germany Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus.

The prisoner, along with two children, were transported to Ankara from different countries of origin.

According to Turkish sources, three individuals were moved to the United States, while ten people including two children were sent to Russia, and 13 were transferred to Germany.

Along with Gershkovich and Whelan, individuals traded hands as well.

Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara Murza a Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post contributor, was recently detained for sharing “false” details on the Russian military following his criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kara-Murza holds permanent residency in the United States.

Ilya Yashin a Russian politician from the opposition was arrested and received an eight and a half year prison sentence for speaking out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Rico Krieger a German man who was convicted of terrorism and other crimes in Belarus, was given the death penalty.

Vadim Krasikov a member of the FSB who was convicted of murdering a ex-Chechen fighter in a park in Berlin.

During talks, U.S. officials indicated that Russia insisted on not releasing Gershkovich or Whelan without the release of Krasikov, who was detained in Germany.

Due to the U.S. inability to provide Krasikov Germany was asked to join talks.

Norway, Slovenia, and Poland were included in the invite list because they also had Russian individuals in their custody for the exchange, according to officials.

U.S. officials confirmed that Marc Fogel an American educator, who was convicted in 20201 for supposedly bringing medical marijuana into Russia was not part of the exchange that took place on Thursday.

Family members of Fogel expressed disbelief that Russian dissidents would be given precedence over American citizens in a prisoner swap according to a statement they released.

They stated that Marc has been unfairly held captive for an extended period and should be given priority in any exchange talks with Russia irrespective of his fame or popularity as Fogel is experiencing serious health problems.

Trump’s water bottle incident during interview leaves viewers baffled

17 year old accused of killing three girls in Southport assault