A US-Russia prisoner swap is underway to free multiple American, German citizens

More than a dozen people, including Americans, are being released from Russia on Thursday in one of the biggest and most complex prisoner swaps in U.S. history, according to a senior administration official and a person with knowledge of the operation.

It is not clear who is part of the swap. Among the Americans in Russian custody are journalists Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza, along with former Marine Paul Whelan. German Rico Krieger, who had been sentenced to death in Belarus, is one of multiple Germans being held.

Moscow is receiving a number of Russians who have been imprisoned in multiple countries.

Speculation had risen in recent days that some sort of exchange was imminent, as foreign detainees were reported missing from multiple Russian prisons, with no explanation from the Russian government.

The prisoner swap marks a major victory for President Joe Biden at a time of tense relations with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The continued detention of Americans has only exacerbated those tensions.

There have, however, been one-off deals to free Americans. In the most recent deal in 2022, WNBA basketball player Brittney Griner was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer. That same year, the U.S. secured the release of former Marine Trevor Reed for a Russian drug smuggler. The U.S. was unable to free Whelan, 54, in these previous exchanges. He was imprisoned in 2018 on accusations of spying.

Following Gershkovich’s arrest, The Wall Street Journal launched an aggressive public relations and diplomatic campaign to secure his release. His detention garnered the attention of the entire media community, lawmakers on Capitol Hill and senior officials inside the Biden administration.

Marc Fogel, an American teacher imprisoned in Russia, is not expected to be freed Thursday. In a statement, his family said the Biden administration should prioritize securing his release.

“It is inconceivable to us that Russian dissidents would be prioritized over U.S. citizens in a prisoner exchange,” the statement said. “Marc has been unjustly detained for far too long and must be prioritized in any swap negotiations with Russia, regardless of his level of notoriety or celebrity.”