WASHINGTON (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Two American families are breathing a sigh of relief today after learning their loved one is part of a prisoner swap with Russia.
The eastern nation agreed to free U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gerskovich, that’s according to Bloomberg.com report published Thursday.
The publication reports the two are headed to locations outside of Russia. It’s not yet clear which prisoners the U.S. will release to Russia as part of the exchange.
53-year-old Whelan, a corporate security director from Michigan, was arrested in Moscow in 2018 and convicted of espionage in 2020. He’d been serving a 16-year sentence.
In an previous interview with WBAP News, Whelan’s twin brother David said Paul suffered physically, mentally and emotionally since being held on what the family says are baseless espionage charges.
“There a a lot of people who don’t know that there are these American citizens suffering injustice…it’s really unimaginable,” he said.
Gerskovich was also convicted on espionage charges, which he denied. He was initially arrested in Yekateringburg in March 2023 while covering a story.
The deal is being touted as the largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history. The deal ultimately lead to about two dozen people being freed and involved seven different countries.
President Biden will give remarks about the deal from the White House around 11 a.m. CST.
This is a developing story.
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