U.S. and Russia Execute Major Prisoner Swap

A historic multilateral prisoner exchange between the U.S., Russia, and other nations took place, resulting in the release of several detainees, including American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. President Biden praised the deal as a significant diplomatic achievement, as Whelan had been wrongfully detained since 2018 on espionage charges, while Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023. Both men received sentences of 16 years in Russian penal colonies following what U.S. officials described as sham trials. The exchange is regarded as the largest since the Cold War, involving numerous political prisoners and criminals. Whelan's case drew high-level attention in the U.S. government amid deteriorating U.S.-Russia relations, exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine. The release of these detainees marks a pivotal moment in ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two countries.