Three Americans released from a Russian prison as part of a landmark prisoner swap have returned to the US.
Evan Gershkovich, Ars Kurmaseva and Paul Whelan were part of the agreement to release 24 people in the largest prisoner swap between Russia and a Western country since the Cold War.
They were greeted on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland by US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The photo captures the emotional moment the American POWs were reunited with their families.
Mr. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, embraced his mother, Ella Millman, while Ms. Kurmasheva was reunited with her husband, Pavel Butrin, and their daughters, Miriam Butrin and Bibi Butrin.
The freed Americans remained on the tarmac in Maryland, enjoying their moment back in the United States.
They took selfies with family and friends, hugged Biden and Harris, patted loved ones on the back and showered them with kisses.
At one point, Biden gave Whelan the flag pin he was wearing on his lapel.
‘An extraordinary day’
Harris said it was an “extraordinary day” and praised Biden’s role in the prisoner exchange.
Harris also criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying “this is evidence of a president who understands the power of diplomacy” and noted concerns that the deal could encourage more Americans to be held in Russia. : “I am not convinced that these people should be left to rot in prison because others may be arrested.”
The complex agreement was negotiated in secret with Russia and several other countries for more than a year.
The return of Messrs. Gershkovich, Kurmaseva and Whelan comes after 13 other Western prisoners were airlifted to Germany last night.
They include Vladimir Kara-Murza, a dual British-Russian national who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for criticising his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
As part of the agreement, eight Russian prisoners were released from prisons in the US, Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland.
“Today is a powerful example of why it’s important to have friends in this world,” Biden said.
Americans Released Under Agreement
Gershkovich was first arrested and detained in March 2023 after Russia claimed he was “collecting classified information” on behalf of the CIA.
Mr Gershkovich has maintained that the accusations against him are false and that his employers have called the case a farce.
Earlier this month he was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison in a trial widely seen as politically motivated.
Mr Gershkovich’s family said in a statement published in the Wall Street Journal: “We can’t wait to hold him in our arms and see his kind, brave smile up close.” Emma Tucker called it a “joyful day.”
Ms Kurmaseva is a dual Russian-American citizen and a journalist for Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, a US-funded media organisation.
Last month she was sentenced to more than six years in prison.
Whelan, a former US Marine, has been held in Russia since her arrest in a Moscow hotel room on 28 December 2018.
Police said they had caught the man “in the act” with a computer memory stick containing a list of Russian secret agents.
Whelan, who also has British citizenship, pleaded not guilty and claimed he received the USB stick from a stranger because he thought it only contained holiday photos.
Prisoners repatriated to Russia
In exchange for the release of people such as Gershkovich, Kurmaseva and Whelan, Russian nationals were released by other means.
This includes Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted in Germany in 2021 and given a life sentence for killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park two years ago – reportedly on the orders of the Moscow security service.
During the negotiations, the Russian government relentlessly called for his release, with Vladimir Putin himself advocating for his release.
At the time of Alexei Navalny’s death, officials were reportedly discussing the possibility of replacing Krasikov.
But with that prospect no longer existing, senior U.S. officials, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, have renewed their push to persuade Germany to release Krasikov.
Finally, some of the POWs released by Russia were German nationals or had both German and Russian nationality.