| Submit your comments on this article | |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia | |
| WSJ's Evan Gershkovich & Ex-Marine Paul Whelan Freed By Russia In Major Prisoner Swap With US | |
| 2024-08-01 | |
| [ZH] From Airandee's comment In a massive overnight night development, Russia has released Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan in a prisoner swap, Bloomberg and others confirm. Some sources are saying that as many as 20 and 30 political prisoners and journalists might be part of a multi-country exchange reportedly in progress, but what's certain is that Gershkovich and Whelan are currently on their way to freedom. "The men, jailed in Russia on espionage charges they and the US deny, are en route to destinations outside of Russia," reports Bloomberg. "The US and its allies will return prisoners to Russia that they hold under the deal, the people said, asking for anonymity to discuss matters that arenβt yet public." And The Moscow Times speculated overnight as rumors swirled of an impending major deal with Moscow, "Russia may be preparing to free between 20 and 30 political prisoners and journalists in an imminent exchange with the United States and Germany, a source familiar with the planning said, in what, if confirmed, would be the largest swap since the end of the Cold War." However, these latter details have yet to be confirmed. It is also as yet unclear who on the Russian side is being freed. Only very recently, on July 19, a Yekaterinburg handed down a very significant 16-year prison sentence in Gershkovich's espionage case, after he had been behind bars since is March 2023 arrest. Russian authorities claim he was spying for the CIA while investigating a major Russian defense company in Yekaterinburg, a city which lies east of the Ural Mountains. It is widely believed that Russia was using the case as a bargaining chip all along, in order to free high level Russian detainees in the West, just like the prisoner swap involving Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout played out. As for Marine veteran Paul Whelan, who was issued a 16-year sentence in 2020 on charges of espionage - which the US government condemned as false and unfair - his family had long complained that his case didn't get the attention from Washington that it deserved. But his fate appears to have suddenly and drastically changed for the better. Could it be that Tucker Carlson's big interview with President Vladimir Putin had a part to play, or got the ball rolling in the prisoner deal?
Related: Evan Gershkovich 07/19/2024 US Reporter Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 years in Russian penal colony on charges of espionage Evan Gershkovich 04/06/2024 Zakharova accuses US intelligence agencies of using journalists as agents Evan Gershkovich 03/27/2024 Russia extends detention of US reporter Evan Gershkovich after a year in jail Related: Paul Whelan 09/15/2023 Russia orders expulsion of two US embassy staff for links to βspy' Paul Whelan 04/11/2023 Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band Guitarist Steven Van Zandt Deletes Call to 'Exterminate' GOP 'Cockroaches' Paul Whelan 01/14/2023 Russia releases US Navy veteran quietly held for past 9 months Related: Brittney Griner 03/27/2024 Russia extends detention of US reporter Evan Gershkovich after a year in jail Brittney Griner 05/15/2023 Guess Who Stood For The National Anthem? Brittney Griner 04/15/2023 Trump Sent Chilling Warning from Viktor Bout Related: Viktor Bout 05/15/2023 Guess Who Stood For The National Anthem? Viktor Bout 04/15/2023 Trump Sent Chilling Warning from Viktor Bout Viktor Bout 01/22/2023 TSA 'no fly' list leaked after being found on unsecured airline server | |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #4 So the Skripals are still a no show |
| Posted by: Clem+Elmish4239 2024-08-01 13:01 |
| #3 That's good. First I am hearing this. Thanks for post. |
| Posted by: mossomo 2024-08-01 13:00 |
| #2 From: Power is in the truth (Via V Kontakte) two minutes ago ββ‘10 people released in the Ankara exchange are heading to Russia, 13 to Germany and three to the US - NTV channel According to other media, Russia has released: - Evan Gershkovich; β Vladimir Kara-Murza; β Liliya Chanysheva; β Ilya Yashin; β Ksenia Fadeeva; β Andrei Pivovarov; β Paul Whelan; β Alsu Kurmasheva; β Oleg Orlov; β Sasha Skochilenko; β Dieter Voronin; β Kevin Leake; β Rico Krieger; β Patrick SchΓΆbel; β Hermann Moizhes; β Vadim Ostanin. Western countries have released: β Vadim Krasikov (from Germany); β Artem Dultsev (from Slovenia); β Anna Dultseva (from Slovenia); β Mikhail Mikushin (from Norway); β Pavel Rubtsov (from Poland); β Roman Seleznev (from the USA); β Vladislav Klyushin (from the USA); β Vadim Konoschenko (from the USA). |
| Posted by: badanov 2024-08-01 10:48 |
| #1 It will be very interesting to see who the US and their allies traded for these two |
| Posted by: Griter+Slash1619 2024-08-01 10:13 |