Three Americans freed from Russian prisons under a landmark exchange deal have landed back in the US.
Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan were part of a deal which saw 24 people released in the biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
They were welcomed on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland by US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Asked about concerns that the deal may incentivise the detention of Americans in Russia, Mr Biden said: “I don’t buy this idea that you let these people rot in jail because other people may be captured.”
Ms Harris said it was “an extraordinary day” and praised Mr Biden’s role in the prisoner exchange.
In a jab at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Ms Harris said: “This is a testament to having a president that understands the power of diplomacy.”
The complex trade was negotiated with Russia and several other countries in secret for more than a year.
The return of Mr Gershkovich, Ms Kurmasheva and Mr Whelan comes after the 13 other Western detainees were flown to Germany last night.
Among them was dual UK-Russian citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was jailed for 25 years after being convicted for criticising the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Eight Russian prisoners were released from prisons in the US, Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland under the deal.
The Americans freed under the deal
Mr Gershkovich, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, was first arrested and detained in March 2023 after Russia claimed he had been “gathering secret information” on orders from the CIA.
Mr Gershkovich said the charges against him were false and his employer called the case a sham.
Evan Gershkovich pictured on a flight leaving Russia
He was jailed for 16 years earlier this month after being convicted of espionage in a trial widely seen as politically motivated.
Alsu Kurmasheva holds Russian and US citizenship and is a journalist for Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, a media organization funded by the US.
She was detained in June 2023 and later accused of spreading false information about the Russian military, which she denied.
Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva in court on 31 May. Pic: Reuters
Last month, she was sentenced to more than six years in prison.
A former US marine, Paul Whelan had been in custody in Russia since he was arrested in a Moscow hotel room on 28 December 2018.
Police said they caught him “red-handed” with a computer memory stick containing a list of secret Russian agents.
Former US Marine Paul Whelan. File pic: Reuters
He was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a maximum security prison.
Mr Whelan, who also holds British citizenship, had pleaded not guilty, claiming he was set up by a sting operation and that he had been given the USB drive by someone else, thinking it only contained holiday photos.
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