Former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, along with radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, were released from Russian custody after spending several years imprisoned on various charges, including espionage and failing to register as a foreign agent. The trio disembarked at Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field in Texas around 3 a.m. Friday alongside US hostage envoy Roger Carstens, who guided them through the reintegration process that will include various medical examinations at a state-of-the-art Department of Defense hospital in Houston.
For Whelan, the feeling of freedom did not truly hit him until they were flying over England during their journey back to the United States. Born in Ottawa with Canadian, US, British, and Irish citizenship, Whelan was arrested in Moscow on suspicion of spying in late December 2018. He was found guilty in a closed-door trial and spent nearly six years in a remote penal colony before being released as part of the historic prisoner swap between Russia and the West.
Whelan expressed gratitude to his family for their support throughout his ordeal and noted that seeing President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland was an uplifting homecoming moment. He even displayed the flag lapel pin given to him by the president, which he described as a “keepsake.” Whelan also mentioned losing personal belongings like his iPad and iPhone while in Russian custody, but was excited about getting a replacement to help him feel more “normal” again.
Whelan, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, and their families were then photographed at the joint base with the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Flag, featuring three tally marks representing the group of recently freed individuals. Following the photo-op, the three former captives would undergo medical evaluations at Brooke Army Medical Center as part of the reintegration process established by the US government for those released from foreign detention.
The trio’s release marked the largest multi-country prisoner exchange since the Cold War, with a total of 24 prisoners exchanged during the historic swap. Gershkovich spent 16 months behind bars in Russia after being arrested on suspicion of espionage during a reporting trip in March 2023, while Kurmasheva was detained in October 2023 for failing to register as a foreign agent.
