'Feels good': Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan's first words of freedom

WASHINGTON - Paul Whelan’s first act on American soil on Thursday evening was to offer a crisp salute to the commander-in-chief. A former U.S. Marine, Whelan raised his right hand to his brow while descending from the plane that brought him home.

“How you doing, sir?” Whelan said as he greeted President Joe Biden.

After months of being held hostage in Russia, Whelan, along with Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmashev, landed at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington at 11:37 p.m. EDT following a long journey from Turkey. They were released along with other hostages in a historic East-West prisoner swap involving 24 people across six countries.

Whelan was arrested in 2018 by Russian officials on espionage charges. At the time, he was the head of global security for the Michigan-based auto supply company BorgWarner and traveled to Moscow that year to attend a friend’s wedding. His family and the U.S. government have called his charges baseless. In 2020, he was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison colony.

When asked what he’d say to others held abroad, Whelan told reporters, “Just hang in there, we’re coming for you.”

Whelan also told reporters early Friday at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas that he was being released “didn’t feel real” until they were in British airspace.

“Looking forward to seeing my family down here and just recuperating from five years, seven months, and five days of just absolute nonsense by the Russian government,” he said.

He added, with a chuckle, “I’m glad I’m home. I’m never going back there again.”

Gershkovich greeted Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday at Joint Base Andrews. After a reporter asked him how it felt to finally be home, he replied, “Not bad. Feels good.”

The WSJ reporter had been detained in Russia since early 2023 while working as a journalist. Russian prosecutors accused him of gathering information on behalf of the CIA, while the U.S. government and the newspaper vehemently denied the allegations. In July, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

“There’s one thing I would like to say. It was great to get on that bus today and see not just Americans and Germans but Russian political prisoners…today, it was a really touching moment to see all of them,” Gershkovich told reporters after he landed.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Michael Collins and Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Feels good': Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan's first words of freedom