2018 Imprisoned Former US Marine Paul Wellen Also Released
Russia has released Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who had been detained on espionage charges, through a large-scale prisoner exchange with the United States.
On the 1st (local time), Bloomberg News reported, citing anonymous sources, that Gershkovich and Whelan were being moved to destinations outside Russia.
Bloomberg stated, "As part of this (prisoner exchange) deal, the U.S. and its allies will return detainees held in custody back to Russia."
Gershkovich, who is being released this time, was detained for 16 months after being arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) on espionage charges during a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg, Russia, in March last year. The Russian court last month sought a 16-year prison sentence for Gershkovich. Whelan was also arrested in 2018 on espionage charges, sentenced to 16 years in prison, and had been held in Russia.
Earlier, the U.S. State Department had conducted extensive negotiations with the Russian side to secure the release of Gershkovich and Whelan, who were unjustly detained.
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