Is Russia’s Release of Evan Gershkovich the Start of Improved US-Russia Diplomacy?

In a big diplomatic move, Russia is about to free three American prisoners. Among them is Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. This release is part of a prisoner exchange deal with Western countries. The Biden administration worked hard to make this happen.

Along with him, former US Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva will also be freed.

The prisoner swap, expected to happen today, includes 24 prisoners held in Russia, the United States, Germany, and three other Western countries. Eight Russians will go back to Russia, including some with links to Russian intelligence.

One of them is Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence in Germany for a 2019 murder in Berlin. Reports say Krasikov is on his way to Ankara, Turkey, where the exchange will take place.

Evan Gershkovich is a journalist for the Wall Street Journal. He was arrested in March 2023 in Ekaterinburg and sentenced to 16 years for spying. Both he and the US government say these charges are false.

Paul Whelan is a former US Marine. He was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and convicted of spying, which he denies. He was working in security for a US vehicle parts company when he was arrested.

Alsu Kurmasheva is a Russian-American journalist. She is less known but still important in these negotiations.

This prisoner swap involves many countries, making it one of the biggest since the Cold War. Turkish intelligence helped organize it, showing the extensive efforts and international cooperation needed to make it happen.

The last big prisoner swap was in December 2022. At that time, US basketball star Brittney Griner was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Another major swap happened in Vienna in 2010, involving ten Russian spies in the US and four alleged double agents in Russia. One of them was Sergei Skripal, who later survived a nerve agent attack in the UK in 2018.

This exchange is happening while tensions between Moscow and the West are high, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. It’s seen as a diplomatic win for President Joe Biden, especially as Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to face Donald Trump in the upcoming November election.