Washington — President Biden is addressing the nation Thursday after securing the release of American citizens imprisoned in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan, and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
All three American citizens are on their way back to the United States, along with U.S. green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was also freed in the deal.
The massive prisoner swap involves 24 prisoners being held in six countries, according to senior administration officials, who described it as the most complex exchange in U.S. and Russian history. The swap took place in Ankara, Turkey.
The president confirmed the deal in a written statement ahead of his address.
"All told, we've negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia — including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country," Mr. Biden said in his statement. "Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over."
Who are the Russians being freed in the exchange?
In return for the release of the prisoners held in Russia, the Kremlin will receive eight of its nationals, officials said, including three that were being held in U.S. prisons: Vadim Konoshchenok, Vladislav Klyushin and Roman Seleznyov.
Two Russians held in Slovenia, one in Poland and another in Norway are also headed home. All have known or suspected ties to Russian intelligence, according to U.S. officials.
Key among the prisoners returned to Russia, according to American officials familiar with the talks, was Vadim Krasikov, a convicted murderer who was sentenced to life in prison by a German court in 2021 for killing a Georgian asylee who had fought against Russians in Chechnya. German judges said the killing had been ordered by Russian federal authorities and called it "state terrorism."
Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich
Whelan and Gershkovich have been imprisoned in Russia on accusations of espionage that were rejected by the United States. Kurmasheva, a dual American and Russian citizen, was detained in Russia in June 2023 on charges of spreading false information about the Russian army.
Russia sentenced Gershkovich last month to 16 years in prison, after proceedings that were entirely closed to the public. Whelan was also sentenced to 16 years in 2020, two years after he was arrested. Russia provided no public proof that either was involved in espionage.
News of their expected return to the U.S. comes after years of pleading from their families and advocacy groups, as well as extensive negotiations by the Biden administration.
"Journalism is clearly not a crime," the president said in April at the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C. "Not here, not there, not anywhere in the world. And Putin should release Evan and Alsu immediately ... And I give you my word as a Biden, we're not going to give up until we get them home. All of them. All of them."
The prisoner swap agreement will likely go down as one of the most significant final achievements of the Biden administration, with less than six months to go until the end of his presidency and career in public office.
Weijia Jiang, Arden Farhi, Olivia Gazis, Pat Milton and Camilla Schick contributed reporting.
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