Evan Gershkovich was freed from a Russian prison as a result of a prisoner swap
Kurmasheva indicted by the Russian army: a case study of russian-American journalistisation of 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.
An American journalist in Russia, Paul Gershkovich, is returning to the U.S. after four years of espionage
Paul was held hostage for over two years, his family said. The American held by the Russian Federation as part of their plan to use humans as pawns was his case. While Paul was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, he lost his home. He was fired from 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 you will continue to support Paul as he rebuilds his life, giving him the space and privacy he needs. It is Paul’s story to tell and he will tell it when he is able.”
Gershkovich was arrested in Moscow in March 2023 and became the first U.S. journalist since the Cold War to be charged with espionage. Last month, a Russian court sentenced him to 16 years in prison, after he was accused by the Russian prosecutor of working with the CIA to collect information on a Russian arms company. Gershkovich’s employer and the US government strenuously denied the allegations.
The agreement was announced Thursday, where at least 16 political prisoners who had been jailed in Russia will be exchanged for eight Russians held in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Poland and Slovenia.
President Biden said that the swap deal was a success and thanked the allies who worked with the United States. It is essential to have friends in this world who you can trust and depend on, he said.
Jake Sullivan said there had been a similar number of individuals exchanged in this way since the Cold War.
Russian American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva is one of the people who are coming back to the US from Russia.
The Secretary of State appreciated the location of the safe return of 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 says it caught James Bond on a spy mission,” Whelan said during a memorable court appearance in 2019. “In reality, they abducted Mr. Bean on holiday.”
Evan Gershkovich, the American-born son of Soviet-era emigres to the U.S., was indicted by a Russian prisoner swap
She was accused of failing to register as a foreign agent. Last month, she was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison 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 spoke to CNN from Moscow in 2022, in which he called the government of Russian President Putin a regime of murderers. He was arrested within hours.
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.
Gershkovich — the American-born son of Soviet-era emigres to the U.S — and the Wall Street Journal have consistently denied the allegations against him. So too has the U.S. government, which designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained.
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
Former U.S. Senator Biden and a Counterattack against Russian Intelligence Officer Seleznev will be released from German, Norway, Poland and Slovenia
Some people have been wrongly held for a long time. President Biden said in a statement that all have suffered unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. “This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon.”
A nine-year prison sentence was handed down to Klyushin, who was convicted for his role in a $90 million hacking scheme that resulted 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, a suspected Russian intelligence operative, was extradited to the United States from Eastern Europe last year after being indicted for his alleged involvement in a money-laundering scheme. The Justice Department said that he was involved in a scheme to provide sensitive American-made electronics to Russia to aid in their war efforts.
Seleznev was sentenced to 27 years in prison for running an identity-theft and credit-card operation. He was indicted for committing crimes that resulted in the theft and resale of more than 2 million credit card numbers and losses of at least $170 million. Over 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. Vadim Krasikov was serving a life sentence for the murder of a Chechen citizen of Georgia in Berlin when German authorities agreed to release him.
Norway, Poland, and Slovenian authorities will release people.
Rhonda, Whelan, and the Biden-Harris Administration: A tribute to the four people who safely returned to the U.S.
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 Administration showed true leadership by doing everything in their power to bring Americans home. Everyone returned is a winner.
Sullivan said Biden would try to use the success to try to get Fogel released, as well as other Americans who are being held in other countries.
The three people that exited the plane first were Gershkovich and AlsuKurmasheva, who worked for U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe. The trio exchanged handshakes and hugs with President Biden and Vice President Harris, and embraced their family members as onlookers cheered.
Russian journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage last month, is expected to arrive in the US on Friday, his family said. Gershkovich was detained in 2018 after being accused of working with CIA to collect information on a Russian arms company. The Russian government said that it has released him as part of a prisoner swap.