Topline
Russia is expected to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. marine Paul Whelan from jail Thursday as part of a major prisoner swap with Washington involving several other detainees, several news outlets reported—ending years of tense negotiations between the two countries.
US journalist Evan Gershkovich was accused of espionage and jailed in Russia.
Key Facts
Gershkovich and Whelan are part of a cohort of prisoners Moscow is expected to release in exchange for Russian prisoners, according to Bloomberg and CNN, which cited unnamed sources.
Russia handed both Whelan and Gerskhovich 16 year jail sentences for spying in 2020 and last month, respectively, with both men denying the charges and being designated as wrongly detained by the U.S. State Department.
The deal includes Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was sentenced by Russia to six-and-a-half years in prison last month, according to CBS News, which cited a senior Biden administration official.
Russian-British activist Vladimir Kara-Murza will be released in the swap, after he was sentenced to a record 25 years in prison on treason and other charges last April, according to Bloomberg, which citied an unnamed European official.
Details on the deal, including who Moscow will release, who Washington will exchange in return and when prisoners will be released are not known, as neither Russian nor American governments have commented publicly on the matter.
The swap will involve multiple countries, according to Bloomberg, though it is not clear which states are involved beyond Russia and the U.S.
Key Background
Speculation of an imminent prisoner swap between Washington and Moscow has grown in recent days amid reports key figures held in Russia had “disappeared” from jails. Gershkovich, who was jailed when reporting in Yekaterinburg in March last year, and Whelan, who was detained in 2018 when attending a wedding in Moscow, are known to be high profile targets for Washington and both were widely reported as likely candidates for any swap.
What We Don’t Know
It’s not clear who will be involved in the swap on either side or what countries will be involved. Belarus is expected to join Russia on one side of the deal, according to Reuters, with the U.S. collaborating with Germany and Slovenia on the other.
What To Watch For
According to Reuters, various news reports—some of which have not been confirmed by the outlet—indicate Russian-British dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, opposition activist Vadim Ostanin, opposition politician Ilya Yashin, human rights activist Oleg Orlov and Daniil Krinari, who was convicted of cooperating with foreign governments, have disappeared from jail and could be among those released in the swap. Others reported to have gone missing include activists Liliya Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeeva, artist Sasha Skochilenko and Kevin Lik, a German-Russian citizen convicted of treason.
Surprising Fact
The exchange will reportedly be the biggest prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War.
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