Russia agreed to release those imprisoned The Wall Street Journal Bloomberg News reported Thursday that the prisoner swap involved reporter Evan Gerskovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
Bloomberg report:
Russia is set to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan as part of a larger prisoner swap with the United States, according to people familiar with the matter.
The men jailed in Russia on espionage charges, which both they and the United States deny, are on their way out of Russia. The United States and its allies plan to return the prisoners they are holding to Russia under an agreement, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that have not yet been made public.
Russia sentenced Gerskovich to 16 years in prison last month on bogus espionage charges. Whelan had been left behind in an earlier prisoner swap for the 2022 release of WNBA star Brittney Griner.
It is unclear which Russian prisoners held in the United States were released as part of the exchange, or what other concessions the United States made to secure the release of Gerskovich and Whelan.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, in a speech at his party’s convention last month, had threatened America’s enemies and promised to secure the release of the prisoners: “To the whole world, we want the hostages back. If they are not returned before I take office, there will be a very heavy price to pay.”
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
