Three U.S. citizens imprisoned in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, are anticipated to be released on Thursday as part of a prisoner exchange deal.
Alongside Gershkovich, US Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva will also be freed, as confirmed by a senior U.S. official.
The exchange deal, agreed upon by the Biden administration, will involve a total of 24 prisoners held in Russia, the U.S., Germany, and three other Western countries. Although the swap has not yet occurred, it is expected to take place later on Thursday.
Eight Russian nationals, some with suspected ties to Russian intelligence, are expected to be returned to Russia as part of the exchange.
Vadim Krasikov, identified by German officials as a colonel in Russia’s FSB intelligence service, is currently serving a life sentence for the 2019 murder of a Kremlin opponent in a Berlin park.
This comes amid days of speculation about a significant prisoner swap involving multiple countries, intensified by the relocation of several dissidents and journalists jailed in Russia to unknown locations.
One such detainee is Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Kremlin critic with dual Russian-British citizenship, whose unknown whereabouts have fueled expectations of his possible release.
Other names potentially included in the exchange are Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin and veteran human rights advocate Oleg Orlov.
While secret prison transfers are not uncommon in Russia, the simultaneous “disappearance” of several high-profile prisoners is unusual.
Earlier this week, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko pardoned German citizen Rico Krieger, who had been sentenced to death for terrorism and other charges.
If all these releases occur, it would mark one of the largest prisoner exchanges between Russia and the West in history.