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For Evan Gershkovich, the dozen appearances in Moscow's courts over the past year have fallen into a pattern. Guards take the American journalist from the notorious Lefortovo Prison in a van for the short drive to the courthouse. The periodic court hearings give Gershkovich’s family, friends and U.S. officials a glimpse of him, and for the 32-year-old journalist, it’s a break from his otherwise largely monotonous prison routine. Friends and family say Gershkovich is relying on his sense of humor to get through the days. Every day, Milman said, “I wake up and look at the clock.”“I think about if his lunchtime has passed, and his bedtime," she said.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, He’s, Gershkovich, it’s, “ It’s, ”, Ella Milman, Milman, Nicholas Daniloff, Emma Tucker, ” Milman, Evan, Francesca Ebel, Josef Stalin's, he’s, Polina Ivanova, He's, Pjotr Sauer, ” Sauer, Mikhail Gershkovich, doesn't, “, Biden, Lynne Tracy, Gershkovich “, Vladimir Putin, Vadim Krasikov, ” Ebel, Journal's Tucker, I’m, Tracy Organizations: Wall, Journal, Federal Security Service, U.S, Associated Press, Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Arsenal, British, Guardian, West Locations: Lefortovo, Yekaterinburg, Washington, Russia, Ukraine, “, New Jersey, Moscow, Russian, Germany, Berlin, Georgian

☆ Russian oligarch went to Moscow in effort to broker complex prisoner exchange that included Navalny, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A multi-country prisoner exchange that might have freed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was being discussed and progressing when he died last month, multiple sources have told CNN, and included the direct involvement of a Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich. However, a source close to Navalny’s team told CNN that on the evening of February 15 they had received word that a message had been delivered to Putin. Clinton “initially passed on the message” to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Grozev told CNN. “We had to find a way to package the German asset [Krasikov] into an American negotiation,” the source close to the Navalny team said. Getting the message to Putin was one of the greatest challenges, the individual close to the Navalny team told CNN.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Roman Abramovich, Navalny, Abramovich, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Maria Pevchikh, “, ”, Dmitry Peskov, it’s, Christo Grozev, Clinton, Grozev, Biden, Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner, Clinton “, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Pevchikh, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Tucker Carlson, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Gershkovich, Whelan –, Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, ” Abramovich Organizations: CNN, United Arab, Kremlin, IK, Aspen Ideas, FSB, US National, National Security, Wall Street, Krasikov, Navalny, US Department of Justice Locations: Russian, Moscow, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Siberia, Western, Russia, Aspen, Colorado, Berlin, Chechen, Europe, Germans, Brazil

CNN —Negotiations to release Russia’s opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a prisoner swap had reached their “final stage” just before his sudden death, a top aide to Navalny has said. “Navalny was supposed to be free in the coming days because we had achieved a decision on his exchange,” Pevchik said. Putin had recently signaled his interest in a prisoner exchange with the West involving Krasikov and Gershkovich. Pevchik claimed that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had served as “an informal negotiator” and delivered the prisoner swap proposal to Putin. Navalny’s body was returned to his mother on Saturday, more than a week after his death.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, ”, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Maria Pevchik, ” Pevchik, “, ” Navalny, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Dmitri Peskov, Ebrahim Noroozi, Matthew Miller, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Putin, Tucker Carlson “, Navalny “, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Pevchik, nodded understandingly, Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Abramovich, Navalnaya, Alexey, ” Peskov, ” Kira Yarmysh, Alexey ” Organizations: CNN, YouTube, CNN’s, State Department, Wall Street, Fox News, Kremlin, “ Locations: Russian, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Russia, Krasikov, Siberia, Ukraine, “

☆ Navalny Allies Say He Was About to Be Freed in a Prisoner Exchange
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Anton Troianovski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aides to Aleksei A. Navalny asserted on Monday that the Russian opposition leader had been on the verge of being freed in a prisoner exchange with the West before he died earlier this month. Western officials were in advanced talks with the Kremlin on a deal that would have released Mr. Navalny along with two Americans in Russian prison, a top aide to the dead opposition leader, Maria Pevchikh, said in a video released on the Navalny team’s YouTube channel. As part of that deal, Ms. Pevchikh said, Germany would have released Vadim Krasikov, the man convicted of killing a former Chechen separatist fighter in a Berlin park in 2019. There was no immediate comment from any of the parties reportedly involved in the trade described by Ms. Pevchikh. A Kremlin spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Aleksei A, Navalny, Maria Pevchikh, Pevchikh, Vadim Krasikov, Mr, Putin, Krasikov, Tucker Carlson, Ms Organizations: West, Kremlin, YouTube, Fox News Locations: Russian, Germany, Chechen, Berlin

☆ Opinion: What is Putin afraid of?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. But in its attempt to exercise and display its strength, Putin is showing his fear. Security forces have arrested Russians questioning the war in Ukraine, let alone questioning Putin. According to rights organization Freedom House, Russia has become one of the world’s top perpetrators of transnational repression. Criticism of the war or of Putin can lead to death in a Russian prison camp.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Ksenia, Putin, Karelina, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Chris Van Heerden, didn’t, Boris Nemtsov, Anna Politkovskaya, There’s Navalny, Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, —, Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, ”, Maxim Kuzminov, Russia “, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Skripal, “ Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Kremlin, Russia’s Federal Security Service, KGB, Security, US, Wall Street, House, Police Locations: Russia, Russian, Los Angeles, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Germany, Chechen, Alicante, Kuzminov, London, Salisbury, England, Moscow, Ukrainian

☆ US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina ‘didn’t have a worry in a world’ when she went to Russia. Then she was arrested for treason
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Tara John | Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —When dual US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina boarded a flight from Istanbul to Russia in January, the last thing on her mind was that she would find herself behind bars weeks later on treason charges, her boyfriend told CNN’s Brianna Keilar Wednesday. She went on to Russia, while he returned to California - and that’s when he discovered she had been detained. Russian authorities took her cell phone then released her and she was able to see her family and contact him. Despite it all Van Heerden said he was hopeful the US would not give up on her. Ksenia Karelina's boyfriend said she had for years been a "semi-pro" ballerina.

Persons: Ksenia Karelina, CNN’s Brianna Keilar, Karelina “, ”, Chris Van Heerden, Karelina, Van Heerden, Ksenia, ” Karelina, Ukraine –, “, Nick Starichenko, Shutterstock, Andrei Soldatov, Evan Gershkovich’s, Vladimir Putin, Vadim Krasikov, ” Putin, Tucker Carlson Organizations: CNN, Angeles, Federal Security Service, Russia, Russia’s Federal Security Service, Court, Wall Street Locations: Russian, Istanbul, Russia, Yekaterinburg, California, Karelina, Ukrainian, Ukraine, America, Moscow, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, United States

CNN —A US-Russian dual citizen has been arrested in Russia on charges of treason for allegedly collecting funds for Ukrainian organizations and openly supporting Kyiv. It also accused the woman of taking part in “public actions in support of the Kyiv regime” while in the US. The court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention for the accused,” the statement added. Moscow has detained several US citizens in recent years, some of whom have been exchanged for Russian prisoners held in Western countries. The Moscow City Court on Tuesday rejected Gershkovich’s lawyers appeal and has upheld his pretrial detention until March 30.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, “, Gershkovich, Vladimir Putin, Vadim Krasikov, Natalia Kolesnikova, ” Putin, Tucker Carlson, ”, Brittney, Viktor Bout, Griner, US Marine Paul Whelan Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Federal Security Service, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Embassy, US State Department, Wall Street, Court, Getty, Fox News, basketball, US Marine Locations: Russian, Russia, Los Angeles, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, “, Lefortovo, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, AFP, United States

☆ Putin gets a propaganda opportunity as Congress dithers over Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

► Russian President Vladimir Putin was about to be isolated worldwide as a pariah. They also fact-check Carlson on his assertion that US media organizations have not tried to interview Putin. From their report:In fact, journalists have repeatedly been requesting interviews with Putin, but the Russian president had declined to grant access. Ukraine funding has run dryThe Pentagon has essentially exhausted the money Congress allocated for Ukraine over the past two years. In the Senate, there is support for Ukraine aid.

Persons: Tucker Carlson, Vladimir Putin, ► Elon Musk, Donald Trump, ► Putin, Carlson, Trump, Joe Biden, Putin, X Carlson, CNN’s Oliver Darcy, ”, Darcy, Alexei Navalny, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Vadim Krasikov, CNN’s Nathan Hodge, Katharina Krebs, Helen Regan, Tucker Carlson's, CNN Putin, Webster, Volodymyr Zelensky, Valerii, Zelensky, Biden, autocrats, Sen, Rand Paul of, Mitch McConnell, Mike Johnson, Johnson Organizations: CNN, Fox News, unflappable, Twitter, Republicans, Republican, Pentagon, SpaceX, Putin, Street, Big Tech, Trump, Biden, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, bewilderment, US, Chechen, Berlin, Russian, West, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Merriam, Israel, Rand Paul of Kentucky

☆ Germany Silent on Putin's Call to Free Russian Hitman
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Rene Wagner and Thomas EscrittBERLIN (Reuters) - Germany declined to be drawn on Friday on whether talks were underway on swapping a Russian state hitman serving a life sentence in a German prison for detained U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, an idea floated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I can't say anything on that," deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said when asked if Russia was seeking such an exchange. "I don't want to address this concrete case, please," she added when asked if Germany was in touch with the United States on the matter. People in the entourage of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is visiting Washington for talks with President Joe Biden, also declined to comment. (Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Washington, writing by Thomas Escritt, editing by Rachel More and Angus MacSwan)

Persons: Rene Wagner, Thomas Escritt BERLIN, Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Putin, Gershkovich, Christiane Hoffmann, Olaf Scholz, Joe Biden, Putin, Vadim Krasikov, Kai Cornelius, Andreas Rinke, Thomas Escritt, Rachel More, Angus MacSwan Organizations: U.S, Wall, Hamburg University Locations: Germany, Russian, Russia, United States, Washington, Berlin, Chechen, Georgia, Moscow

☆ Putin hints at swapping detained Wall Street Journal reporter for Russian prisoner
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said "an agreement can be reached" over the release of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, signaling he is open to an exchange for a Russian prisoner serving time in Germany. "At the end of the day, it does not make any sense to keep [Gershkovich] in prison in Russia. We want the U.S. Special Services to think about how they can contribute to achieving the goals our special services are pursuing. We are ready to talk," Putin said, repeatedly indicating that negotiations over the journalist's future were underway. The Wall Street Journal strongly denies the charges of espionage levied against Gershkovich, a Russia correspondent at the paper, and says he was in Yekaterinburg on a legitimate reporting trip before he was imprisoned in March 2023.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Putin, Putin's, Tucker Carlson, Putin, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan Organizations: Street, Fox News, Kremlin, Russian Federation, U.S . Special Services, Gershkovich Locations: Russia, Lefortovsky, Moscow, Germany, Ukraine, U.S, Russian, Chechen, Berlin, Yekaterinburg

☆ Putin references Russian hitman in German jail as he suggests ‘agreement can be reached’ on detained US reporter Gershkovich
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Nathan Hodge | Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested “an agreement can be reached” with the United States to release detained American journalist Evan Gershkovich, as he brought up the conviction of a “patriotic” Russian hitman in Germany. Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested last March while on a reporting trip in the country. When Putin said Gershkovich was working with US special services, Carlson did push the Russian president, saying: “This guy is obviously not a spy, he’s a kid. In fact, journalists have repeatedly been requesting interviews with Putin, but the Russian President had declined to grant access. The Russian President suggested that the path to ending the war in Ukraine was through direct negotiations between Washington and Moscow.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Tucker Carlson, Putin’s, Carlson, Putin, “, ” Putin, ”, Natalia Kolesnikova, Gershkovich’s, “ He’s, Evan, ” Danielle Gershkovich, Biden, Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, He’s, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner, Whelan, “ Evan, ” “ Evan, “ We’re, Viktor Orbán, Javier Milei, Volodymyr Zelensky, “ Putin, railroaded Tucker Carlson, Jill Dougherty, Dougherty, Armin Wolf, Joe Biden, Dmitry Medvedev Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Street Journal, Federal Security Service, Novosti, US State Department, Getty, White, Russian, Street, Big Tech, International Criminal Court, Rights Watch, Russia’s, Kremlin, NATO, Republicans Locations: United States, American, Russian, Germany, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, Russia, US, AFP, Berlin, Chechen, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Austrian, Washington, Poland, Belarus, Israel

☆ Putin seemed to name his price for giving back Evan Gershkovich: the freedom of a straight-up murderer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

President Putin suggested a prisoner swap deal for detained American journalist, Evan Gershkovich. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementPresident Vladimir Putin said he's open to making a deal for the release of American journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is being held in a Moscow prison. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, —, Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson Organizations: Service, Fox News, Business Locations: Germany, Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin used an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to urge Washington to recognize Moscow's interests and persuade Ukraine to sit down for talks. Most of the interview, released Thursday, focused on Ukraine, where the war is nearing the two-year mark. It was Putin’s first interview with a Western media figure since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Two journalists working for U.S. news organizations — The Wall Street Journal’s Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Alsu Kurmasheva — are in jail. Asked by Carlson whether Russia would release Gershkovich, Putin said Moscow is open to talks but repeated that the reporter was charged with espionage, an accusation Gershkovich has denied.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson, Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, “, ” Putin, John Kirby, Carlson, Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Krasikov, We’re, Evan Organizations: Fox News, NATO, Ukrainian, Kremlin, Kyiv, Putin, House, Radio Free, Street Locations: Washington, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Germany, Poland, Radio Free Europe, U.S, Russian, Caucasus

☆ Paul Whelan tells CNN he asked Blinken to ensure he's not left behind again
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Paul Whelan, an American who has been imprisoned in Russia for nearly five years, pressed Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call in August to ensure that he is not left behind again, Whelan told CNN. He has been designated as wrongfully detained by the US State Department. Whelan was not included in prisoner swaps that freed fellow wrongfully detained Americans Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner last year. “Secretary Blinken remains committed to bringing Paul home,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN on Monday. They’ll spin it out as long as they can, to try to pressure on him, as well as on the US government to do something,” he told CNN.

Persons: CNN — Paul Whelan, Antony Blinken, Whelan, “, ”, Blinken, Joe Biden “, he’s, Blinken “, ” Whelan, I’m, Whelan –, –, Trevor Reed, Brittney Griner, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Viktor Bout, Biden, Vadim Krasikov, Paul, Paul Whelan, ’ Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, Marine, US State Department, “, State Department, Blinken Locations: American, Russia, Mordovia, Irish, Moscow, Russian, Germany, ”, United States, “

☆ The brother of the ex-US Marine jailed in Russia slams Donald Trump for exploiting his imprisonment to attack President Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The brother of Paul Whelan, the ex-US Marine imprisoned in Russia, slammed Donald Trump. Trump criticized the Biden administration for the prisoner swap for Brittney Griner that didn't include Whelan. David Whelan said that Trump never mentioned his imprisoned brother during his presidency. Trump's former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, revealed on Friday that the Trump administration had the opportunity to swap Whelan for Bout in 2018 but chose not to. In his posts on Truth Social, Trump questioned why the Biden administration arranged the swap for Griner, who he said "openly hates our country," while not including Whelan.

The US was unable to deliver on the request for the ex-colonel, Vadim Krasikov, because he is serving out a life sentence for murder in Germany. The US made several other offers to the Russians, sources said, to try to get them to agree to include Whelan in the swap. The US also offered to trade Roman Seleznev, a convicted Russian cyber-criminal currently serving a 14-year sentence in the US, sources said. But Bélot said he could see Vinnik being part of prisoner swap negotiations in the future. “They [Vinnik and Whelan] make part of the possible ‘candidates’ for the next swap,” Bélot said in a text message to CNN.

WASHINGTON — Month after month, as American diplomats pushed for the release of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan from Russian prisons, they received the same, infuriating answer: If you want both prisoners, we want Vadim Krasikov as part of the deal. Mr. Krasikov is an assassin who murdered a Chechen fighter in a park in Berlin in broad daylight in 2019, a brazen killing that the German authorities say was committed at the behest of Russia’s intelligence services. Convicted and sentenced to life in prison in Germany, Mr. Krasikov was not in U.S. custody to be traded to Russia. It was, the Americans thought, hardly a viable request for a swap that would include Ms. Griner, a W.N.B.A. star, and Mr. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, who were being detained on what Biden administration officials considered trumped-up charges.

Persons: Griner, Paul Whelan, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Whelan, Berlin, Vladimir V, Putin, Biden Organizations: U.S . Marine, Biden Locations: WASHINGTON, Chechen, Berlin, Germany, Russia, U.S, United States, Washington

Washington CNN —The Biden administration believes the Russian government will continue to engage on detainee issues, including freeing American Paul Whelan, following the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner because “they have things they want in this world,” a senior administration official told CNN. Moscow knows that ultimately the two sides will reach “a mutually acceptable arrangement if they keep talking to us,” the official continued. “It’s clear that the US government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul Whelan. The official didn’t count out the US offering a Russian spy in US custody as a potential offer to Russia. “There is a willingness to pay even a very big price on the part of this President,” the official said.

☆ Biden chose humanity over geopolitics with Griner release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But President Joe Biden’s decision to exchange WNBA star Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout goes beyond the exchange’s bottom line. And it prompted top Republicans to charge that he had prioritized a basketball superstar over an ex-marine who benefited from a vocal political pressure campaign on Biden. This adds another layer of complication for Biden as he seeks to get Whelan free, since it involves another government and would require German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to potentially agree to supersede his country’s own legal system. While Biden is being castigated by some political opponents in Washington for doing a bad deal, administration officials insisted that he got the best one on offer. It was a choice between bringing home one particular American, Brittney Griner, or bringing home none,” a senior administration official told reporters on Thursday.

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