Russia and US Set for Historic Prisoner Swap Including Gershkovich and Whelan

In a significant development, Russia and the United States are poised to conduct a major prisoner exchange on Thursday, involving the release of three US citizens imprisoned in Russia. The individuals expected to be freed include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, US Marine veteran Paul Whelan, and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva. The deal, confirmed by a senior US official, marks a notable diplomatic effort by the Biden administration.

The prisoner swap is anticipated to involve a total of 24 prisoners held across Russia, the US, Germany, and three other Western countries. Among those expected to be returned to Russia are eight Russian nationals, some of whom have suspected ties to Russian intelligence. Notably, Vadim Krasikov, identified by German officials as a colonel in Russia’s FSB intelligence service and serving a life sentence for the 2019 murder of a Kremlin opponent in a Berlin park, is included in the exchange.

The arrangement follows days of intense speculation regarding a major swap involving multiple countries, spurred by reports that several dissidents and journalists jailed in Russia had been moved from their prison cells to undisclosed locations. One such detainee, Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Kremlin opponent with dual Russian-British citizenship, has been unaccounted for, raising hopes that he too might be part of the exchange.

Other potential individuals on the list include Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin and veteran human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov. While secret prison transfers are not uncommon in Russia, the simultaneous “disappearance” of high-profile prisoners has been notably unusual.

Additionally, earlier this week, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko pardoned a German citizen, Rico Krieger, who had been sentenced to death on terrorism and other charges, further fueling expectations of a significant diplomatic deal in the works.