Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two others arrived home to the United States late Thursday night after a landmark prisoner exchange with Russia.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted the group at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Those freed include former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, 54, who was arrested in 2018; Alsu Kurmasheva, 47, a Russian-American editor for Radio Free Europe, who was arrested last year; and Vladimir Kara-Murza, 42, a political activist, journalist and permanent U.S. resident who was arrested in April 2022.
Gershkovich, Whelan and Kurmasheva all touched down just after 11:30 p.m. Eastern time and were greeted by their families. Kara-Murza was scheduled to go to Germany first before coming to the U.S. at a later date.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” one of Kurmasheva’s daughters said as she ran up to her mother with tears in her eyes.
Gershkovich embraced his mother and swung her around in the air, later heading to the press line to speak with reporters, many his colleagues.
Biden said it was “wonderful” to have the Americans home, praising U.S. allies’ work behind the scenes to push the deal forward. He pointed to difficult decisions from Germany and Slovenia that were essential to secure the swap.
“The toughest call on this one was for other countries, because I asked them to do some things that were against their immediate self-interests — and it was very difficult for them to do,” he said.
When asked what his message to Putin would be, Biden had a terse response: “Stop.”
Reporter Evan Gershkovich hugs his mother Ella Milman, left, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., following his release. Looking on at right is Elizabeth Whelan, sister of released prisoner Paul Whelan.
Their release ended a years-long saga for some amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policy of hostage diplomacy . The deal, which involved seven countries, has been hailed as the largest of its size since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Russia released a total of 16 people while other nations agreed to hand over eight to Moscow, many of whom had been convicted of serious crimes. The most notorious was Vadim Kraskiov, a convicted assassin freed by Germany. He had been identified as a key piece of the puzzle by the Kremlin.
Alsu Kurmasheva, center, hugs her daughters after her release.
This image released by the White House shows Evan Gershkovich (left) Alsu Kurmasheva (right), Paul Whelan (second from right) and others aboard a plane Thursday after their release from Russian captivity.
Gershkovich, 32, was arrested on allegations of espionage, charges he and the Journal fiercely denied. He was imprisoned for 16 months after being sentenced in a secret trial to 16 years in a penal colony.
His family thanked Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as “every U.S. or foreign government official who helped get Evan released.”
“We have waited 491 days for Evan’s release, and it’s hard to describe what today feels like,” his family said in a statement after the deal was made public. “We can’t wait to give him the biggest hug and see his sweet and brave smile up close. Most important now is taking care of Evan and being together again. No family should have to go through this, and so we share relief and joy today with Paul and Alsu’s families.”
One family that will not be reunited after the prisoner exchange is that of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. He was one of Putin’s biggest critics and survived a poisoning in 2020 only to be sentenced to serve more than 30 years in jail.
He suddenly died in prison in February at the age of 47.
His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said Thursday that every “released political prisoner is a huge victory and a reason to celebrate.”
“No one should be held hostage by Putin, subjected to torture, or left to die in his prisons,” Navalnaya said in a statement.
Harris said she spoke to her following the release.
“I thanked Yulia for her courage in continuing her husband’s work and reaffirmed my commitment to stand with those fighting for freedom in Russia and around the world,” the vice president wrote on the X social media platform.
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