Evan Gershkovich’s friends, family ‘ecstatic’ for his return

( NewsNation ) — Friends of American journalist Evan Gershkovich are making plans to see him when he returns to the United States after spending more than a year in Russian detention.

Gershkovich’s former classmate from Princeton High School in New Jersey told NewsNation they’ve been closely monitoring his situation since he was wrongfully imprisoned on espionage charges 16 months ago.

Their tight-knit group of friends say they’re ecstatic now that Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, has been freed. His release Thursday was part of the biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history .

Moscow released Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan , along with dissidents including Vladimir Kara-Murza , in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free.

After receiving weekly updates since his arrest, one of Gershkovich’s friends said she was in disbelief Wednesday upon learning that a prisoner swap might be possible.

When the news became official Thursday, she had full body chills and instant tears of gratitude, she said.

Whelan’s friends and family have shared similar sentiments.

They released a statement thanking the administrations of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the U.S. embassy and many of the Americans who wrote to and donated to him while he was in prison.

“Paul Whelan is free. Our family is grateful to the United States government for making Paul’s freedom a reality,” the statement read. “Paul Whelan is not in a Russian labor colony any longer, but he is not home. While Paul was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, he lost his home. He lost his job. We are unsure how someone overcomes these losses and rejoins society after being a hostage. We are grateful for everyone’s efforts to help Paul while he was away.”

The trade unfolded despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine .

Biden touted the exchange as a diplomatic feat, but some are concerned about the risk and reward in a swap this large.

“I think it’s illegitimate to swap innocent Americans for Russians who may include a KGB agent in Germany convicted of murder, among other things,” said John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “The price for America is high; every time you make a deal like this, the price gets higher.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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