“Their brutal ordeal is over,” the president said.
In what marked a rare moment of cooperation, Russia, the U.S., and its allies just carried out the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War.
President Biden confirmed in a statement that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among those freed from Russia. In case you aren’t familiar with their names, Gershkovich had been held in Russian detention for over a year on espionage charges, while Whelan was arrested in 2018 after being accused of spying.
“Their brutal ordeal is over, and they are free,” Biden said from the White House next to family members of the released prisoners. “It’s an incredible relief.”
But Thursday’s massive swap culminated after months of complex, behind-the-scenes negotiations with several countries. Here’s a closer look at who was released and what went down.
What prisoners did the U.S. and Russia swap?
The historic exchange involved 24 prisoners. In addition to Whelan and Gershkovich, Russia released 14 others, such as Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and U.S.-based Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza. During his time in prison, Kara-Murza wrote columns for The Washington Post and even won the Pulitzer Prize for his work.
Russia also set free a dozen German citizens, including a teenager. At 19, Kevin Lik is one of Russia’s youngest prisoners to be accused of treason. On the opposite end of the spectrum, one of Russia’s oldest political prisoners, 71-year-old Oleg Orlov, was freed, alongside 42-year-old Lilia Chanysheva and 30-year-old Rico Krieger.
In return, eight prisoners were sent back to Russia, including three from U.S. prisons: hacker Vladislav Klyushin, money launderer Vadim Konoshchenok, and credit card and identity theft mastermind Roman Seleznev.
During Thursday’s speech, Biden singled out Germany for its “significant concessions,” namely Berlin’s release of high-profile Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov. In 2021, Krasikov was convicted of killing former Chechen fighter Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili “execution style” in broad daylight.
“The deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship,” Biden said before taking a thinly veiled shot at former President Trump and others who have advocated for a more isolationist foreign policy approach. “For anyone who questions whether allies matter: They do matter.”
What this means for the U.S. and Russia
The historic swap involved tense months-long negotiations between the U.S., Russia, Belarus, and Germany. At one point, U.S. officials weren’t sure it would happen after the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which left U.S. negotiators hopeless for an agreement.
However, talks started gaining traction about two weeks ago when Biden got on the phone with his Slovenian counterpart to secure the deal. This happened the same day that the president announced that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection and was still recovering from COVID-19.
“This exchange is not by accident. It really is the result of a heck of a lot of leadership by President Biden and by the strength of relationships,” an unnamed senior administration official told ABC News.
This marks a significant win for the Biden administration, and it’s worth mentioning that Vice President (and presumed Democratic nominee) Kamala Harris was a “core member” of the team who helped make this swap possible. According to The Hill, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Harris met face-to-face with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and was regularly involved with briefings on the matter.
Despite this monumental exchange, it’s unlikely that U.S. and Russian relations will improve anytime soon. While Biden expressed hope that they would, he admitted that he doesn’t speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin and that his administration will continue to advise people not to venture into certain countries like Russia to avoid these exchanges in the first place. But he argued that saving several innocent lives was well worth the price.
“There’s nothing that matters to me more than protecting Americans at home and abroad,” Biden said. “This is a good day.”
