The rumor had been circulating since Wednesday. It was finally confirmed on Thursday, August 1. American journalist Evan Gershkovich, sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia in July for “espionage,” will be released from Kremlin jails in a major prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow, according to several American media outlets, including Bloomberg. The journalist of the Wall Street JournalHe is currently on his way to leave Russia, sources familiar with the negotiations told the American news agency.
Among the other people exchanged, Russia also reportedly released Paul Whelan, a former US Marine held by the Kremlin since 2018. On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin himself had mentioned as a possible bargaining chip the case of Vadim Krassikov, in prison in Germany for the assassination of a former Chechen separatist commander attributed to Russian special services.
The most important exchange since the Cold War?
Earlier on Thursday, the Kremlin declined to confirm the possible prisoner swap. “I still have no comment on this,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
But a clue had indicated a possible twist. In recent days, at least five Russian opponents, as well as a Russo-German convicted of “treason” and an activist who had “cooperated with Ukraine”, all imprisoned in Russia, had been transferred to unknown destinations, according to their relatives and NGOs. This unusual phenomenon had given rise to rumors of a possible imminent prisoner exchange that should also concern the American journalist Evan Gershkovich. This exchange could in any case be the most important between Moscow and the West since the Cold War.
An accusation of espionage never substantiated
A reporter known for his professionalism, Evan Gershkovich was arrested in late March 2023 while reporting in Yekaterinburg, in the Urals region. The accusation of “espionage” was never substantiated by Russia, and the journalist, his family, his relatives and the White House denounced a trumped-up case. He was ultimately sentenced to 16 years in prison, to serve his sentence in a penal colony with a “severe regime”, which means very strict detention conditions.
The journalist’s trial, after 16 months of detention, had been expeditious. The entire procedure had been placed under the seal of secrecy and nothing had leaked from the closed session imposed by the authorities. But his conviction was above all a precondition for a possible exchange of prisoners with Washington, Moscow only exchanging detainees if they are convicted. So it was done.