West and Russia engage in apparent major prisoner swap

West and Russia engage in apparent major prisoner swap, with journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan reportedly included
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Media reports suggest that WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan are already en route to destinations outside Russia

Russia has agreed to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan as part of a landmark prisoner exchange deal with the West, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

The report comes as numerous media pointed to signs of a looming prisoner swap deal between the West and Russia, which could become the largest since the end of the Cold War.

Several media outlets noted that at least half a dozen Russian and Western government-affiliated planes were simultaneously in the air, traveling to Türkiye and other undisclosed locations.

The last major prisoner swap took place in December 2022, with the US releasing Russian businessman Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner, a basketball player convicted on drug charges in Moscow.