Kurmasheva is charged with propaganda against the Russian military during the October 2010 invasion of Ukraine – a re-open debate in support of the war crimes in the U.S.
Kurmasheva is a Russian-American journalist who works for the federally funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She was arrested in October and charged with spreading “false information” about the Russian military under a law passed just days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine that effectively criminalized criticism of the war.
A U.S. Marine Solved for Misleading Humans in a Pirate’s Secret Service: Paul Whelan, a Former Marine and a Russian Prisoner
His family said that Paul was held hostage for more than two years. The American in danger was held by the Russian Federation as part of a plan to use humans as pawns in order to get concessions. While Paul was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, he lost his home. He had lost his job. We are unsure how someone overcomes these losses and rejoins society after being a hostage. They are grateful for everyone’s efforts to help Paul. We hope you will continue to help him by providing Paul the space and privacy he needs as he rebuilds his life. Paul will tell it when he is able.
Whelan is a former U.S. Marine who was arrested on Dec. 28, 2018, while traveling to attend the wedding of a fellow Marine to a Russian woman. Russian authorities accused Whelan of espionage, and in June 2020 he was convicted and then sentenced to 16 years in prison.
In all, under the deal, 16 political prisoners, journalists and others, including five Germans, are being exchanged for eight Russians jailed in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland. Among the Russians is Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian state assassin in German custody, as well as three other Russians in U.S. custody.
President Biden said the swap deal was “a feat of diplomacy” and thanked allies who worked with the United States on the deal. “This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend on,” he said in a statement.
Jake Sullivan said it was the first time since the Cold War there had been a similar number of individuals exchanged in that way.
There were people coming back to the U.S. from Russia, including Russian journalist and dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza.
The Turkish government has been thanked by the Secretary of State for its location where these individuals could return to the United States and Germany.
The Turkish government said in a statement that it had played a key role in the most extensive prisoner exchange operation of recent times in Ankara, involving not only Gershkovich, but also Rico Krieger, whom it identified as a German mercenary imprisoned in Belarus.
Russia claims to have caught James Bond on a spy mission. “In reality, they abducted Mr. Bean on holiday.”
Who’s Who in the Prisoner-Swap that has Freed Evan Gershkovich from Russian prison? The Washington Post’s Jayden Kara-Murza
She was also charged with failing to register as a foreign agent. She was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison last month after a two day trial. Her employer, family, and the U.S. government denied the allegations against her.
The Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested in Russia and held for over a year on assignment for the paper. He was detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service in the city of Yekaterinburg and accused of espionage. In July, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
He has long spoken out against what he says is a Kremlin policy of assassinating its political enemies, and has drawn the ire of Russian authorities for calling on Western governments to sanction Moscow for human-rights abuses.
Kara-Murza is a vocal critic of the Kremlin and Pulitzer Prize-winning contributor to The Washington Post who in 2023 was sentenced to 25 years in a Russian penal colony after authorities accused him of treason and spreading “fake” information about the Russian military.
The allegations against Gershkovich have always been denied by the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. government designated Gershkovich as being wrongly imprisoned.
Liliya Chanysheva, Kseniya Fadeyeva, Rico Krieger, Kevin Lick, Herman Moyzhes, Oleg Orlov, Vadim Ostanin, Andrey Pivovarov, Patrick Schoebel, Sasha Skochilenko, Dieter Voronin and Ilya Yashin.
Source: Who’s who in the prisoner swap that has freed Evan Gershkovich from Russian prison
Insights into a Russian hack-to-trade scheme and the release of five more from the United States, Norway, Poland and Slovenia
“Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. President Biden said in a statement that they had suffered unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. It is crucial to have friends in thisworld who you can trust and depend upon.
Klyushin was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2023 for what the Justice Department called “an elaborate hack-to-trade” scheme that netted the Russian businessman $93 million in ill-gotten gains. The DOJ said Klyushin made those profits off of trades that were based on confidential corporate intel stolen from U.S. computer networks.
Konoshchenok was extradited to the U.S. from Estonia last year in order to face charges related to an alleged money-laundering scheme. He was a key player in the scheme to provide sensitive, American-made electronics and bullets to Russia, the Justice Department said.
Seleznev has been serving a 27-year prison sentence for running a vast credit-card and identity-theft operation. Federal prosecutors say his crimes led to the theft and resale of more than 2 million credit card numbers — with losses of at least $170 million, but potentially in the billions. His victims included more than 4,000 financial institutions and businesses around the world.
In addition to those being released from American prisons, five others will be released from Germany, Norway, Poland and Slovenia. German authorities have agreed to release Vadim Krasikov, a suspected Russian state assassin who was serving a life sentence for the 2019 killing in Berlin of a Georgia citizen of Chechen origin.
Norway is releasing Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin; Poland will free Pavel Alekseyevich Rubtsov; and Slovenian authorities will let go Anna Valerevna Dultseva and Artem Viktorovich Dultsev.
The return of Whelan and Griner to the U.S. is a victory for the Biden-Harris Adminstration
Whelan’s case began receiving widespread attention as part of a failed proposal by the U.S. to bring him home, along with WNBA player Brittney Griner, who served 293 days in a Russian penal colony for having cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner returned to the U.S. in December 2022, but continued to advocate for Whelan’s release.
“We are overwhelmed with joy and relief for the four U.S. citizens who returned safely to America today,” Griner and her wife, Cherelle, said in a statement. “The Biden-Harris Adminstration showed true leadership once again by doing whatever it took to bring Americans home. Every American returned is a victory.
Sullivan said Biden would look to build on the success to try to get the Americans out of Syria, Afghanistan and other places.
Whelan exited the plane first at Joint Base Andrew in Maryland, followed by Gershkovich and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who works for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe. The trio embraced their family members, as onlookers cheered, after they shook hands and hugged President Biden and Vice President Harris.