Russia and the United States have agreed to the largest multi-country prisoner swap since the Cold War, a senior official for President Joe Biden‘s administration confirmed to ABC News on Thursday (August 1).
Two wrongfully detained American citizens, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, will be released from Moscow prison as part of the deal.
Whelan, who holds U.S. British, Irish and Canadian citizenship, was arrested while traveling on an American passport in December 2018 and voncited on charges of espionage, which were denied by the administrations of both Biden and former President Donald Trump. The marine veteran served five of the 16 years in prison he was sentenced to prior to the deal.
Gershkovich was arrested on an espionage charge in March 2023, which he and U.S. officials denied, as Biden claimed he was targeted for being an American journalist. Gershkovich was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony prior to the reported prisoner swap agreement.
Details on the Russian prisoners involved in the swap weren’t immediately made available. The deal was a rare example of cooperation between the U.S. and Russia amid high political tensions.
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY AND WILL BE UPDATED.
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