Americans freed in prisoner swap with Russia are Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich

On the Kushushenko inspiral: journalist Kurmasheva charged with false information about the Russian military and the invasion of Ukraine

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.

American journalist Evan Gershkovich and the former US marine Vdim Krasikov among other prisoners exchanged by the Turkish government

His family said that he was held hostage for over two years. His case was that of an American in peril, held by the Russian Federation as part of their blighted initiative to use humans as pawns to extract concessions … Paul’s home was lost while he was in Russia. He lost his job. We are unsure how someone overcomes these losses and rejoins society after being a hostage. We are grateful for everyone’s efforts to help Paul while he was away. We hope that you will continue to give the space and privacy that Paul needs so that he can rebuild his life. It is Paul’s story to tell and he will tell it when he is able.”

Among those being released are the American journalist Evan Gershkovich and the former US marine held in Russia.

The political prisoners, journalists and others will be exchanged for Russians imprisoned in the US, Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland. Vadim Krasikov is a convicted Russian state assassin who is in German custody with three other Russians.

The swap deal was praised by President Biden and he thanked allies who worked with the United States. “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.

“Not since the Cold War has there been a similar number of individuals exchanged in this way,” said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, adding the exchange was the “culmination of many rounds of complex painstaking negotiations over many, many months.”

The returnees from Russia include Gershkovich, an American who works for the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe and also a Russian who is a permanent resident of the US.

The Secretary of State appreciated the Turkish government for providing a place for the safe return of these individuals to the United States and Germany.

The Turkish government said in a statement that it had played a key role and “conducted the most extensive prisoner exchange operation of recent times in Ankara,” involving not only Whelan and Gershkovich, but also Rico Krieger, whom it identified as a German mercenary imprisoned in Belarus; Russian dissident Ilya Yashin; and Vadim Krasikov, whom it identified as a colonel in the FSB, Russia’s internal security service.

“Russia claims to have caughtJames Bond on a spy mission,” he said during court. They kidnapped Mr. Bean on a holiday.

The United States Prisoner Swap that Has Freed Evan Gershkovich from Russian Prison: An Interview with 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 trial that reportedly lasted just two days. Her family, her employer, and the U.S. government have all denied the charges against her.

He made a statement regarding the Russian government in an interview he gave to CNN. Within hours, he was under arrest.

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.

The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in a Russian penal colony for spreading false information about the Russian military after he was accused of treason.

Gershkovich and the Wall Street Journal have denied the allegations against them. The U.S. government designated Gershkovich as being wrongfully 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

Release of a Russian State Assassin from a 2023 U.S. Correction to the Crimes of Vladimir Klyushin

“Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty,” President Biden said in a statement announcing the prisoner swap. “This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon.”

The Justice Department said that Klyushin received a sentence of nine years in prison in 2023 for his role in a scheme to steal $94 million from a Russian businessman. The DOJ said that Klyushin made his profits from trades that used confidential corporate intel.

Konoshchenok, a suspected Russian intelligence operative, was extradited to the U.S. from Estonia last year to face charges stemming from an alleged procurement and money laundering scheme. The Justice Department said he was “a critical participant in a scheme to provide sensitive, American-made electronics and ammunition in furtherance of Russia’s war efforts and weapons development.”

Seleznev has been serving a 27-year prison sentence for running a vast credit-card and identity-theft operation. According to prosecutors, his crimes led to the theft and resale of more than 2 million credit card numbers, with losses of at least $170 million. More than 4,000 financial institutions and businesses were his victims.

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.

Whelan, Griner and the Biden-Harris Administration: How the U.S. Helped to Bring America Home

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.

The four U.S. citizens who returned to America today were overjoyed with joy and relief, said the couple. The leadership of the Biden-Harris adminstration was once again shown, as they did anything it took to bring Americans home. Every American returned is a win.”

Sullivan said Biden would seek to build on the success to try to free Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen still held in Russia, and other Americans held in Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The three who left the plane were at Joint Base Andrew in Maryland and included an American journalist and a Russian-American. The trio exchanged handshakes and hugs with President Biden and Vice President Harris, and embraced their family members as onlookers cheered.