The US and Russia conducted a major prisoner swap on Thursday that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 on charges of espionage, which were rejected by the US government and the WSJ. In July, he was convicted to serve a 16-year prison sentence, which happened as the US and Russia were quietly negotiating the prisoner swap.
Whelan was arrested in Moscow in 2018 when he was found with a USB in his pocket that contained classified information. He maintained his innocence and said the USB was planted on him, but was convicted on espionage charges and ordered to serve a 16-year sentence in 2020.
Two other US citizens were also released, along with five Germans, and seven Russian citizens who were held in their own country. In exchange, eight Russians who were in prison in the US, Germany, Slovenia, Norway, and Poland were released.
In comments on the swap at the White House, Biden said some of the Russians who were freed from Russia were connected to Alexei Navalny, an opposition figure who died earlier this year while serving a 19-year sentence at a penal colony in Siberia. Biden accused Putin of killing Navalny, but it was later revealed that US intelligence agencies didn’t believe that was the case, and Ukrainian intelligence said he likely died of a blood clot.
The exchange marks the second high-profile prisoner swap the US and Russia have conducted since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The previous deal freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Biden said the latest deal happened thanks to diplomacy with many US allies, but still rejected the idea of direct diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said he wouldn’t speak with the Russian leader. The Biden administration has refused to engage with Russia at a high-level to ease tensions over Ukraine or work on arms control despite the high risk of nuclear war.
Call me the eternal optimist or an idiot,lol….But it seems like a little bit of good news?….!
I disagree. That was horrible.
We gave so much for nothing.
Those two Americans took the easy way out.
Russia should have made more demands.
Tell your supervisor, your fishing expedition sucks.
The prisoner exchange is based on a humanitarian gesture, respects human rights and represents a step towards peace.
Why are you voting yourself up?
https://www.euronews.com/search?query=prisoner+swap
https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/prisoner-swap-1503327928.html
https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2561826/world Jailed Belarus Nobel winner should have been freed in prisoner swap, say supporters
https://khodorkovsky.com/resources/the-full-list-of-russias-political-prisoners/
https://duihua.org/resources/political-prisoners-database/
https://mronline.org/2022/08/11/the-united-states-has-many-political-prisoners-heres-a-list/
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202406157216 Iranians Condemn Sweden's Release of Convicted War Criminal
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103120303966 When getting more makes groups seem worth less: Negotiating a "better" deal in prisoner swaps can ironically signal low self-regard and engender disrespect
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/08/01/this-prisoner-swap-should-only-be-the-beginning-of-russias-future-a85906
https://aappb.org/?page_id=5830 Political Prisoner Definition
https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/detention/
Biden said the latest deal happened thanks to diplomacy with many US allies, but still rejected the idea of direct diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said he wouldn’t speak with the Russian leader. The Biden administration has refused to engage with Russia at a high-level to ease tensions over Ukraine or work on arms control despite the high risk of nuclear war.
But he would speak with the leader of a country who is conducting a genocide, with Biden's support, and whose soldiers stick metal sticks up POW's a$$es.
Biden is afraid of Putin.
They share our values.
WHO negotiated and approved the deal? Surely not Joe "we finally beat Medicare" Biden?
There is a great post on Moon of Alabama concerning Gershkovitz. Look up the post. You will understand why Russia picked him up.
Gershkovitz is an obvious CIA agent. Just research his background. Whelan may be one or is a wanna be. Both were collecting intel often and were arrested with evidence in hand.
They should’ve been hanged.
Yes. At a minimum, the out-of-hand dismissal of the charges by the US government, its lackeys, and the MSM, is totally unwarrented. The Wall Street Journal reporter specifically travelled to a city well-known for its munitions plants ("defense" plants, in American Orwellian lingo).
And he asked lots and lots of questions, including directly to the workers there, about the details of the manufacturing processes, and other pretty obviously secret information. Certainly, a Russian reporter, working for a pro war, anti US publication (the WSJ is pro war, anti Russian), travelling to and snooping around in, say, the Boeing plant in Huntsville, Alabama, would be at least suspected of spying, no?
Funny how accusations or even suspicions of spying, by American and other Western journalists, academics, business men, and others, are always dismissed either with a laugh (when nothing comes of them) or elicit outrage (when they are pursued), with the details as related by the opposing government never, or only very rarely, being even mentioned, never mind refuted. Somebody is spying for the USA and the West generally. Who would it be if not journalists, students, professors, and others with a convincing cover story as to why there are there in the first place? Why is it presented as being beyond the realm of possiblity that this guy was spying? At the least, he was engaging in highly suspicious behavior.
Gershkovitz immigrated from Russia as a teenager. He graduated with an arts degree from a small college, disappeared for a year, probably for CIA training, then was hired by the WSJ with no journalism degree or Ivy league degree. After his investigative trips deep inside Russia near sensitive military sites, he always reported to the CIA at the US embassy upon return. There are a hundred foreign reporters living in Russia who aren't arrested because they aren't spies.
"Adults in the room" who won't speak to a nuclear armed and highly provoked power. The MOST pathetic foreign policy administration of my long lifetime–and that is saying something!
Putin should’ve let those two Americans rot in jail.
Bad exchange in my opinion.
Putin is a statesman, a diplomat.
Glad this was done. In the future when things turn real sour, this would be delayed for a very long time.
Biden Killing Hypocrisy…! Putin killed Navalny, but Bidden didn't kill tens of thousands of Palestinians thru Israel…!
I never realized how evil Biden really is, even before his dementia.
Biden has a severe case of insanity, how else can one explain such irrational childish behavior? The old fool has his finger on the red button. That is really scary.