Your Morning: Americans come home after Russia prisoner swap

Coming home: Three of the four Americans released from Russian custody Thursday are back in the U.S. Retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe reporter Alsu Kurmasheva were greeted at Joint Base Andrews late Thursday by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. All three have opted to participate in a program that supports people who’ve been in captivity, according to a U.S. government official. The latest >

The prisoner swap: The historic swap included 26 people and cooperation from seven countries: Russia, the U.S., Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Gershkovich and Whelan were released into U.S. custody after spending 16 months and more than 5 1/2 years, respectively, behind bars in Russia. While many are celebrating their return, some have expressed concern over the practice of swapping prisoners. “Continuing to trade innocent Americans for actual Russian criminals held in the U.S. and elsewhere sends a dangerous message to Putin that only encourages further hostage-taking,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said. Read more >

Who was released from Russia? Biden confirmed that 16 people being detained in Russia were being released, including five Germans and seven Russian civilians who were being held as political prisoners. “All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over,” Biden said. Here’s a complete list of people released from Russia and where they are being relocated >

Who is returning to Russia? Eight prisoners will be sent back to Russia in exchange for the 16 people Putin included as part of the deal. Here’s a list of people returning to Russia and from which country they were released

Who is returning to Russia? Eight prisoners will be sent back to Russia in exchange for the 16 people Putin included as part of the deal. Here’s a list of people returning to Russia and f

Gershkovich’s family, friends ‘ecstatic’: Gershkovich was the first American reporter to be detained in Russia on espionage charges since the Cold War. His tight-knit group of friends say they’re ecstatic now that he has been freed. The Wall Street Journal told NewsNation it is “overwhelmed with relief.” The Gershkovich family expressed gratitude for the deal, adding that “most important now is taking care of Evan and being together again.” Read more >

Fight to bring Whelan home: Whelan was arrested over spying allegations in 2018 in Moscow where he was attending a friend’s wedding. While he was in prison, his family refused to let him be forgotten and were relentless in visiting and calling officials to get the former Marine home. He was previously left out of prisoner exchanges in 2022. Whelan’s family is “grateful” he’s home, saying he was held hostage for 2,043 days with his case being “that of an American in peril” and part of Russia’s “initiative to use humans as pawns to extract concessions.” Read more >

Left behind: Arrests of Americans are increasingly common in Russia, especially since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Among U.S. nationals remaining behind bars in Russia include Los Angeles ballerina Ksenia Karelina and Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel. What to know
rom which country they were released