The Wall Street Journal reporter and others were freed in a prisoner swap in Turkey in the most far-reaching exchange between Russia and the West in decades.
Updated
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:48 p.m. ETJust now
A prisoner swap on Thursday involving seven countries freed the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two other Americans held in Russia, along with several jailed Russian opposition figures, the White House said, in the most far-reaching exchange between Russia and the West in decades.
The scope of the deal has little precedent in the post-Soviet era. For the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, Moscow freed prominent dissidents as part of a swap; 16 people in total were released from Russian custody. In exchange, eight people were freed by the West, after a complex web of negotiations that took place behind the scenes for months among nations that are otherwise bitterly at odds over Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:47 p.m. ETJust now
The family of Marc Fogel, an American teacher imprisoned on drug charges in Russia, expressed disappointment that he was not part of the swap. “It is inconceivable to us that Russian dissidents would be prioritized over U.S. citizens in a prisoner exchange,” they said in a statement. “Marc has been unjustly detained for far too long and must be prioritized in any swap negotiations with Russia, regardless of his level of notoriety or celebrity.”
The prisoner swap is the latest episode in what experts refer to as “hostage diplomacy.” The tactic has worked repeatedly for the Kremlin over the past several years to free some high-profile Russians jailed in the West.
“It’s effectively a hostage-taking under the color and guise of law,” said Danielle Gilbert, a political science professor at Northwestern University who studies the method. “It’s a practice that seems to be on the rise in recent years, and particularly a newly favored tactic of Putin’s Russia.”
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:38 p.m. ET10 minutes ago
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken says in a statement that his “pledge to the families of those still separated from their families is the same that I made to those returning home today: We will not forget you, and we will not rest until you see your loved ones again.”
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:36 p.m. ET12 minutes ago
In a public statement, Paul Whelan’s family celebrated his release and thanked dozens of U.S. officials and others for their help while denouncing Russia for its “blighted initiative to use humans as pawns to extract concessions.” The Whelans said that they had initially been “discouraged from speaking out about Paul’s case. But we believe the media attention has been a crucial factor in securing Paul’s freedom.” Thanking journalists, they said that “often, the media was our only source of information about Paul’s case.”
Twenty-four prisoners were freed on Thursday in a multicountry exchange in Turkey, marking one of the broadest exchanges between Russia and the West in years.
Here’s what to know about all of the prisoners who were exchanged in the swap.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:30 p.m. ET18 minutes ago
Biden takes a question on Trump, who has claimed he could get prisoners released without a swap. Biden leans into the mic to answer that one: “Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” He asks before leaving the room.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:30 p.m. ET18 minutes ago
“Family is the beginning, middle and the end,” said Biden, quoting his own father, about the importance of the exchange.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:29 p.m. ET19 minutes ago
Biden is answering questions from reporters but his voice is so low it’s hard to hear him.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:28 p.m. ET20 minutes ago
When asked if this might improve relations with Russia, he jokes, “from your mouth to God’s ears,” and says there was no need for him to speak to Vladimir Putin.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:28 p.m. ET20 minutes ago
Biden is surrounded by relatives of Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, American citizens, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, an American green card holder. It is an emotional day for the family members and friends of all of the freed detainees.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:27 p.m. ET21 minutes ago
Biden pulls the 12-year-old daughter of Alsu Kurmasheva to his side and asks the room to sing happy birthday to her. She turns 13 tomorrow. The little girl goes back to a relative and begins to cry.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:27 p.m. ET21 minutes ago
Biden says that he wished the prisoners “happy almost home” when he spoke with them earlier.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:26 p.m. ET22 minutes ago
This is a legacy moment for the president, who makes it a point to say this release was done at his request and that freeing Americans held abroad has been a policy focus since the beginning of his presidency.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:24 p.m. ET24 minutes ago
“It says a lot about the United States that we work relentlessly to free Americans who were unjustly held around the world,” Biden says, adding that 70 Americans who have been unjustly detained have been released during his administration.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:23 p.m. ET25 minutes ago
Biden just referred to Oleg Orlov, the co-chairman of the human rights group Memorial, who was arrested earlier this year for “discrediting” the Russian military.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:21 p.m. ET27 minutes ago
“Their brutal ordeal is over, and they’re free,” Biden says, adding that the former prisoners have left Russia and are on their way home. He says he and family members were able to speak with them from the Oval Office. He calls the multi-country release “a feat of diplomacy, and friendship.”
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:19 p.m. ET29 minutes ago
President Biden just walked into the state dining room accompanied by family members of the released prisoners.
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:19 p.m. ET29 minutes ago
Reporters Without Borders, a press freedom advocacy group, called on the international community to not tolerate Russia’s practice of state hostage-taking. Rebecca Vincent, the director of campaigns, said in a statement of Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmashev: “Neither should have spent a single day in a Russian prison for doing their jobs as journalists,” adding: “journalists are not targets and must not be used as political pawns in this way.”
Aug. 1, 2024, 12:04 p.m. ET44 minutes ago
President Biden, who negotiated this prisoner release at the same time as he was considering leaving the presidential race, according to a senior aide, is expected to deliver remarks from the State Dining Room shortly. Here is the setup.
Aug. 1, 2024, 11:59 a.m. ET49 minutes ago
Robert Thomson, the C.E.O. of News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal, thanked the U.S. government for its efforts in releasing Evan Gershkovich in an email to News Corp staff members: “Evan’s emancipation would not have been possible without the concerted efforts of concerned, principled people who recognized that his cruel incarceration was unjust and immoral.”
Aug. 1, 2024, 11:57 a.m. ET51 minutes ago
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, an American broadcaster funded by the United States government, announced the release of its journalist Alsu Kurmasheva from the Russian prison. “Alsu was targeted because she was an American journalist who was simply trying to take care of a family member inside Russia,” Stephen Capus, the broadcaster’s president, said in a statement. “She did nothing wrong and certainly did not deserve the unjust treatment and forced separation from her loving family members and colleagues.”
The prisoner swap carried out on Thursday is the most far-reaching exchange between Russia and the West in decades. Here’s a closer look at some of the people who were released.
Released by Russia
Aug. 1, 2024, 11:54 a.m. ET55 minutes ago
Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas and the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, celebrated the news of the release in a statement and stressed the need to continue advocating for other detained Americans.
“I remain concerned that continuing to trade innocent Americans for actual Russian criminals held in the U.S. and elsewhere sends a dangerous message to Putin that only encourages further hostage taking by his regime.”
Aug. 1, 2024, 11:52 a.m. ET56 minutes ago
Screens in the lobby of the Wall Street Journal’s building in London are lit up with Evan Gershkovich’s smiling face: “WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich is free.”
Aug. 1, 2024, 11:52 a.m. ET56 minutes ago
Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, cheered the prisoners’ release in a statement. “This exchange speaks volumes about what our two countries value. Vladimir Putin is getting back a crew of thugs, murderers, and low-life criminals. The United States is welcoming home journalists, voices for democracy and former service members.”
For more than a year, the top of The Wall Street Journal’s website has featured prominent coverage of the imprisonment of Evan Gershkovich, one of the news organization’s reporters. His image and the words #IStandWithEvan appear on a large screen in The Journal’s New York newsroom. Colleagues wear “I Stand With Evan” T-shirts and “Free Evan” pins.
The maneuvering behind the international prisoner swap on Thursday, involving Mr. Gershkovich and around two dozen others, was far outside the bounds of what The Wall Street Journal could do to help him. But since Russia imprisoned Mr. Gershkovich in March 2023, The Journal has pushed to keep his detainment top of mind.
