Gershkovich, Whelan Freed From Russia in Massive Prisoner Swap

The Facts

• Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and several dissidents were freed from Russia on Thursday as part of an agreement between at least six countries involving at least 24 prisoners.

• The US, Russia, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, and Poland all agreed to release prisoners in a deal US Pres. Joe Biden in a statement called "a powerful example of why it's vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon."

• Whelan had been wrongfully detained by Russia since Dec. 2018 on espionage charges that both the Biden and Trump administrations denied. Gershkovich was similarly arrested in March 2023.