Three Americans released by Russia, including Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrived yesterday at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. They were welcomed by U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris following a historic prisoner exchange agreement between the West and Russia.
The complex exchange agreement, reached after challenging and lengthy negotiations involving seven countries, represented a diplomatic victory for Biden, who has long been committed to bringing imprisoned Americans back home.
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the agreement also served as a different kind of victory, allowing him to showcase that he cares for Russians detained abroad.
In the exchange, which took place at Ankara’s international airport, a total of 16 people were released by Russia and 8 by the West.
A key element of the agreement was the release of Vadim Krasikov, a Russian convicted of murder, from a German prison—an objective that had long been a priority for Putin.
“A law passed by Russia in 2006 allowed for the assassination of individuals abroad whom Moscow accuses of extremism and terrorism,” reported a NYT journalist. “For the Kremlin, Krasikov’s killing of a Chechen separatist leader in Berlin, who was labeled a terrorist by Russia, was considered legal.”
In a statement, Gershkovich’s family expressed their gratitude to Biden and other officials who played a crucial role in securing his release after 16 months in a Russian prison.
The Americans released included 32-year-old Gershkovich, who had been detained for 16 months; 47-year-old Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who had also been arrested last year; and 54-year-old Paul Whelan, a former Marine who was apprehended in 2018.
What is fyi.news?
