Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who is a native of Princeton, was freed from a Russian prison Thursday in a major prisoner swap that was coordinated between seven countries, including the U.S. and Russia.
Among the other 16 prisoners released by Russia were retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva. In exchange, eight prisoners were returned to Russia.
In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, Michael McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration, who negotiated a prisoner swap in 2010, discussed what went into the deal.
“A number of things are unique. The first is the multiple countries that were involved. … When we learn the full body of what went on behind the scenes, my guess is that multiple Americans were involved — the president, Secretary Blinken, our special negotiator for these kinds of things, Roger Carstens. My guess is that the head of the CIA, Bill Burns, was probably involved,” McFaul said.
President Biden, addressing the nation Thursday, said the swap “is an incredible relief for all the family members, friends and colleagues praying for this day for a long time.”
Gershkovich, who was detained since March 29, 2023, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on charges of espionage. He is expected to arrive in the U.S. Thursday night.
“Evan was not a criminal. Ulsa was not a criminal. These were journalists, American journalists doing their job. And that’s part of the reason that he was arrested because Putin wants to deter fantastic reporters, people like Evan and Ulsa who know the country well. This is a giant deterrent. It’s a scary deterrent. And that is another thing that tragically he accomplished by arresting them, that I think will make other journalists like them think twice before even working in Russia,” McFaul said.
