Reports: Russia to Free Detained Americans Gershkovich and Whelan

U.S. officials revealed that Russia had declined to consider including Paul Whelan in the December 2022 prisoner exchange, which led to the release of Brittney Griner.

WASHINGTON — Russia is set to release detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan in a prisoner swap with the United States, Bloomberg reported Thursday morning.

The report indicated that both men, who have been jailed on espionage charges that they and the U.S. deny, are being transported to locations outside of Russia.

In return, the U.S. and its allies will transfer an undisclosed number of prisoners back to Russia as part of the agreement. Specific details about the prisoners involved have not been made public yet.

This exchange is poised to be the largest multi-nation prisoner swap since the Cold War era.

Paul Whelan, 53, a corporate security director from Michigan, was arrested in Moscow in 2018. He was convicted of espionage charges in 2020, receiving a 16-year sentence, which he and the U.S. maintain is baseless.

Initially, Russia refused to include Whelan in the December 2022 deal that secured Brittney Griner’s release in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, citing a “one or none” policy.

Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was detained in Yekaterinburg during a March 2023 reporting trip. He became the first Western journalist arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Soviet era.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s office accused Gershkovich of gathering secret information under CIA orders about a military equipment plant near Yekaterinburg. This plant is noted for its pro-Kremlin stance, particularly after one of its managers publicly criticized Moscow’s anti-government protests.

Other U.S. nationals currently in Russian custody include a musician, an engineer, a staff sergeant, and a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tatar-Bashkir service.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.