JUST IN: Former US Marine Paul Whelan Freed From Russia In Prisoner Swap

U.S. and Russian officials have reached a prisoner swap agreement that is set to see Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich freed after both were detained by Russian authorities for well over a year.

Fox News reported on the deal between the Kremlin and the Biden administration, part of a “massive swap of political prisoners and journalists” that also involves several German citizens caught up in the detention system. The most high-profile of the soon-to-be free men is Gershkovich, an international reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was arrested and charged with espionage. Since his arrest on March 29th, 2023 while reporting from the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, an international outcry by journalists and reporting organizations has amped up the pressure on the U.S. to reach a deal that would see him freed.

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Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour and Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker blasted the “sham conviction” of Gershkovich last year. “This disgraceful, sham conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prison, wrongfully detained, away from his family and friends, prevented from reporting, all for doing his job as a journalist,” Latour and Tucker said. “We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family,” they continued. “Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”

Whelan has had it far worse, however. The Marine veteran was arrested back in 2018. The corporate security executive from Michigan was hit with espionage-related charges and has been jailed in Russia for more than five years, according to his family. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. “We’ve made clear to the Russians our expectation that we will learn more about the charges, come to understand what it is he’s been accused of and if the detention is not appropriate we will demand his immediate return,” former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the time.

The executive retired from the Marines in 2007 after being dishonorably discharged after being convicted by a military court of using fake identity papers and attempting to steal thousands of dollars while serving in Iraq. Since 2008 he has been living in Russia, cultivating a network of new friends and associates as he worked to rebuild his life. “My brother is not a spy,” Whelan’s brother David said shortly after his arrest. “Paul’s background is in law enforcement. He has military experience, he’s in corporate security.”

Left unsaid is which Russian prisoners will be freed by either the U.S. or Germany as part of the swap. The most recent exchange of prisoners came in 2022 when WNBA star Brittney Griner was released after arriving in Russia for a game and being found in possession of a marijuana vape pen. Her freedom was predicated on the U.S. releasing Viktor Bout, a notorious international arms dealer linked to small arms transactions around the world. Bout was less than halfway through a 25-year sentence.

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