Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan released from Russia in major prisoner swap

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former United States Marine Paul Whelan were released from Russian custody in a major prisoner swap.

Bloomberg confirmed Gershkovich's and Whelan's release on Thursday, though the details of the agreement, including who else is being released, remain largely unknown and could include countries outside the U.S. and Russia .

The State Department had previously classified Whelan and Gershkovich as "wrongfully detained," which is a legal definition given to Americans who the government believes were detained by a state or nonstate actor with the intent to use as leverage in negotiations. There are several Americans in Russian prisons without that designation who may or may not be included in the deal.

Whelan was arrested in 2018 on espionage charges that he and the U.S. government vehemently denied. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 and has served about a fourth of his sentence. Gershkovich was arrested in the spring of 2023 on similar charges, which he, his employer, and the U.S. disputed, and he, too, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The release had been rumored on Wednesday in a report from the Moscow Times, which said that up to 20 to 30 people may be released. Other names floated were Vladimir Kara-Murza, Oleg Orlov, Lilia Chanysheva, and former Moscow city councilman Ilya Yashin.

It was not made immediately clear which Russians were released in exchange, but the Russian outlet RIA reported the names Alexander Vinnik, Maxim Marchenko, Vadim Konoshchenok, and Vladislav Klyushin had disappeared from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons database.

Whelan's sister, Elizabeth Whelan, traveled to Washington in July to meet with administration officials and check in on their progress in securing her brother's freedom. She told the Washington Examiner at the time that she was worried the administration had "deprioritized" her brother's case but left the meetings "totally assuaged."

Following Gershkovich's sentencing about two weeks ago, President Joe Biden reiterated that the administration is "pushing hard" for his release and said he had "no higher priority than seeking the release and safe return of Evan, Paul Whelan, and all Americans wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad."

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The exchange was the first since December 2022, when basketball player Brittney Griner was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The Biden administration also agreed to a swap with Russia earlier that year to give up Konstantin Yaroshenko to secure the release of Trevor Reed.

Whelan was not included in either deal that secured the release of Reed or Griner.