Russia Set to Free American Prisoners in Swap

The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and the former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan are reportedly being released Thursday in a prisoner exchange between Russia, Germany, and the United States. This swap would be one of the largest between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. 

Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison on July 19 after being accused of espionage while on a reporting assignment for the WSJ in Russia. Whelan was also convicted of spying and has been serving his 16-year sentence since 2018. The U.S. maintains that both charges were baseless. 

According to Axios, Turkey is involved in coordinating the prisoner exchange. “Three people were transferred to the U.S., 10 people—including two children—were sent to Russia and 13 were transferred [to] Germany,” reported Axios. 

This deal would follow the last exchange between Washington and Moscow in 2022 of WNBA player Brittney Griner for the infamous arms trafficker Viktor Bout.

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