8/2/24 - U.S. / Russia Prisoner Exchange

WASHINGTON - (USA TODAY) —  Joey Garrison Rebecca Morin  USA TODAY

  - Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva landed in the U.S. late Thursday night, capping an extraordinary return home from Russian prisons after the largest and most extensive West-East swap of prisoners since the Cold War.

The three Americans landed at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington at 11:37 p.m. following a long journey from Turkey, where they were initially taken after their release from Russian custody.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, greeted them at the tarmac along with family members who were at the White House earlier in the day.

The historic swap followed months of negotiations and involved 24 prisoners across six countries −16 individuals detained in Russia in exchange for eight people held in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland. The key concession was the return of Russian hitman Vadim Krasikov, who was in jail in Germany.

Gershkovich, 32, was detained in Russia in 2023 during a time of heightened tensions between the West and Russia over the war in Ukraine. Russian prosecutors accused the New Jersey native of gathering information on behalf of the CIA. Gershkovich, the Journal and the U.S. government denied the charges, saying he was doing his job as a journalist.

Whelan, 54, from Michigan,  was arrested in 2018 on espionage charges. At the time of his arrest, Whelan was working as the head of global security for the consulting firm BorgWarner. The Russian Foreign Ministry alleged Whelan was caught "red-handed" in an act of espionage, while Whelan insisted that he was set up and that he was simply a tourist.

Whelan was the first one off the plane, and quickly shook the president’s hand as they exchanged words.

Whelan spoke with reporters shortly after arriving back in the U.S. He said he felt good, but was a little tired. While he was in custody, Whelan, a former Marine, said he sang the U.S. national anthem every day.

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian-British dissident and American green-card holder, was also released from Russian prisons in the exchange.