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Former Marine Paul Whelan said he was devastated when a Biden administration official told him WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner was being released from Russian detention after nine months and he was not. The official told him that to free Griner, the U.S. had traded convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s price for releasing the celebrity athlete. “It was a sham.”When he refused, Whelan said he was placed in a cell where the lights were left on around the clock. After he was sentenced to 16 years of forced labor, the Russian trial judge said he would probably be released in two weeks. “The prison food is even worse.”They subsisted, Whelan said, on tea, bread, watery soup, “the kind of fish only Russians eat.

Persons: Marine Paul Whelan, Brittney Griner, Whelan, Viktor Bout, Vladimir Putin’s, What’s, ”, “, ” Whelan, Trevor Reed, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Reed, Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alsu, Antony Blinken, David Whelan, ’ ” Whelan, Putin, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Alexei Navalny, Flora, Andrews, Biden, Andrea Mitchell, he’ll, he’s Organizations: Marine, Biden, WNBA, NBC News, Homeland Security, U.S ., British, Kremlin, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Marines, State Department, CIA Locations: U.S, Russia, Russian, Michigan, Russian American, Radio Free Europe, Moscow, Canada, British, Iraq, Turkey, Manchester , Michigan

Biden spoke to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Air Force One en route to Berlin. Earlier this week, Biden announced more than $400 million in a new round of aid to Ukraine. “I deeply appreciate your partnership and the many times you’ve forsaken an easy choice to make the right choice, Biden told Scholz. “I am overwhelmed,” Biden spoke softly just moments after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier lavished him with praise and awarded Biden his country’s highest honor. In my view, we must keep going, until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace,” Biden continued, “until once again, human dignity prevails.”

Persons: Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz, Yahya Sinwar, ” Biden, Scholz, Biden, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu “ let’s, ” Scholz, Sinwar, Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s, didn’t, “, you’ve, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Frank, Walter Steinmeier lavished, Steinmeier, ”, ” Steinmeier Organizations: BERLIN, Israel, Air Force, British, Wall Street, NATO, Ukraine Locations: United States, Berlin, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Russian, Germany, Europe

BERLIN — President Joe Biden is leaving Washington for Germany on Thursday morning in what will be one of the last opportunities to outline his vision for foreign policy before the election next month. After landing in Berlin, Biden will be greeted with full military honors Friday before receiving the country's highest Order of Merit from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his office said. After years of refusing U.S. prodding to trade the Russian, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris separately convinced Scholz earlier this year. On Wednesday, Biden announced a $425 million aid package for Ukraine that includes air-to-ground munitions and armored vehicles, and promised more defense systems and supplies in the months to come. The White House said Biden will now travel to Angola in early December.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, ”, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Evan Gershkovich, Marine Paul Whelan, Kamala Harris, Hurricane Milton Organizations: BERLIN, Merit, Marine, White, Ukraine, Russia, Wednesday Locations: Washington, Germany, Berlin, U.S, Russia, Russian, France, Britain, Ukraine, Angola, Hurricane

☆ What Russia’s arrest footage of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan really tells us
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russia’s pro-Kremlin media know how to create an alternative reality, and last week’s historic prisoner swap was no exception. On Monday, Russian state-backed media outlets treated viewers to lurid footage of the arrests of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan. And we see a handcuffed Paul Whelan on a hotel bed, flanked by Russian security officers. But in the cases of Gershkovich and Whelan, the aim of the Russian state was to build a bank of human collateral to trade for its valued agents held abroad. But the good news is that Gershkovich is out of Russian custody and can now write the definitive and reliable account of what happened during his arrest.

Persons: CNN — Russia’s, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Gershkovich, Whelan, –, Dow Jones, Almar Latour, Emma Tucker, “ Vladimir Putin, ”, Evan Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Wall Street, Bolshoi Theater, Gershkovich, US State Department, State Department, Dow Locations: Russian, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Russia, British

New York CNN —Bloomberg News took disciplinary action Monday against a “number” of its staffers after the outlet broke an embargo last week on news of the release of several American prisoners held by Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. In a memo sent to the outlet’s staff on Monday and obtained by CNN, Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait wrote that an initial story, published at 7:41 a.m. News organizations, including CNN, had agreed to hold on to news of the prisoners’ release so as not to endanger the process. Ahead of the prisoner swap, the White House had briefed reporters from multiple news organizations around 8 a.m. ET on the activity, with an embargo time on the news of later that day, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, John Micklethwait, Gershkovich, ”, ” Micklethwait, “, Emma Tucker, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vadim Krasikov Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bloomberg, Wall Street, CNN, News, White, RFE Locations: New York, Russia, US, Turkey’s Ankara, Belarus, Germany

☆ 3 Americans returned in Russia prisoner swap may face challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Ashley R. Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Brittney Griner, left, and Trevor Reed, were released from detention in Russia in 2022 and returned to the United States in separate prisoner exchanges. Getty ImagesAfter the dust settlesWhelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva headed to Brooke Army Medical Center for medical evaluations and additional care for as long as necessary, a US official told CNN. The non-profit supports detainees and hostages while they’re still held in captivity and after their release back to the US, Cathcart told CNN. Matthew Heath was released from being detained in Venezuela in a prisoner swap in October of 2022. Matthew HeathReturnees might return to a different family dynamic than what they were used to, according to Cathcart.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Whelan, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, Brittney Griner, Viktor Bout, Roger Carstens, “, ”, Matthew Heath, he’s, ” Heath, Trevor Reed, Griner, Liz Cathcart, they’re, Cathcart, ” Cathcart, ” Readjusting, Jorge Toledo, CNN reintegrating, ” Toledo, CNN’s Pamela Brown, who’s, they’ve, It’s, ” Arianna Galligher, ” Griner, you’re, Heath, CNN’s Simone McCarthy, Anna Chernova, Nathan Hodge, Jennifer Hansler, Rosa Flores, Colin McCullough, Nouran Salahieh Organizations: CNN, Base Andrews, Wall Street, US State Department, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Russian, Associated Press, Brooke Army Medical Center, Hostage, Citgo Corporation, The Ohio State University Wexner, Resilience, New York Times Magazine, Phoenix Mercury, ” Locations: Maryland, Russia, Russian American, Moscow, Prague, Radio Free Europe, San Antonio , Texas, Knoxville , Tennessee, Venezuela, United States, Heath, “, Cathcart

☆ Joint Base Andrews: Three freed Americans back on US soil in Maryland after historic prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Elizabeth Whelan hugs her brother Paul Whelan at Joint Base Andrews following his release from a Russian prison. Alex Brandon/APPresident Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk with family members of the returning Americans to greet them at Joint Base Andrews. Today, their agony is over,” said Biden, who hosted the families of Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva and Kara-Murza at the White House. Whelan, Gershkovich and Kurmasheva flew roughly 10 hours from Ankara, Turkey, on top of a three hour and 45 minute flight from Moscow to Ankara. This is typical protocol for wrongfully detained Americans who return home.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Whelan, Gershkovich, Harris, Biden, Kurmasheva, “, ”, ” Biden, Feedback Biden, CNN Whelan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, –, Vadim Krasikov, Elizabeth Whelan, Joint Base Andrews, Alex Brandon, Base Andrews, Brittney Griner Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Joint Base Andrews, Street Journal, US State Department, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Washington Post, Joint Base, Base, AP, White, National Security Council, State Department, Brooke Army Medical Center, Defense Department Locations: American, United States, Russia, Maryland, Moscow, Radio Free Europe, Germany, Poland, Norway, Slovenia, Gershkovich, Kara, Ankara, Turkey, San Antonio, PISA

☆ Photos capture the moment Americans released in a historic prisoner swap touch down on US soil
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Sarah Gray | Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kumasheva touched down at Joint Base Andrews on Thursday night. The trio were greeted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris after being freed from detention in Russia as part of a massive multi-country prisoner swap, the largest exchange in post-Soviet history. Former US Marine Paul Whelan was the first to disembark, where he was greeted by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Evan Gershkovich hugging his mother Ella Milman after speaking to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Persons: —, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kumasheva, Joint Base Andrews, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Whelan, Whelan's, David, Whelan wasn't, Britney Griner, Paul, Former US Marine Paul Whelan, Andrew Harnik, Gershkovich, Ella Milman, Kurmasheva, Pavel Butorin, Bibi, Miriam, Kevin Mohatt Organizations: Service, Street, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Joint Base, Business, Marine, CBS, Former US Marine, Getty, Reuters, Brooke Army Medical Center Locations: Radio Free Europe, Russia, American, San Antonio , Texas

☆ Children of Russian spy couple in prisoner swap only learned their nationality on flight to Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Anna Chernova | Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The children of two Russian intelligence agents, who were among the detainees released as part of a historic prisoner swap, only discovered their nationality when they were being flown to Moscow, the Kremlin said Friday. The pair had been posing as an Argentine couple in Slovenia where they were convicted of spying. Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted them on the tarmac in Spanish as they didn’t speak Russian and didn’t even know who Putin was, according to Peskov. “When the children came down the plane’s steps – they don’t speak Russian – and Putin greeted them in Spanish, he said ‘Buenas noches,’” Peskov said. While living undercover in Slovenia, Dultsev posed as an IT businessman named Ludvig Gisch.

Persons: Artem Dultsev, Anna Dultseva, “, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, –, ‘ Buenas, ” Peskov, ”, Dultseva, bouquets, Dultsev, Vadim Krasikov, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Ludvig Gisch, Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, Peskov Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, CIA Locations: Moscow, Argentine, Slovenia, Turkey, Russian, Ankara, ”, Spanish, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Berlin, Ljubljana, United States

☆ Putin got a pretty great deal, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe US claimed a major victory on Thursday, orchestrating a sweeping prisoner exchange with Russia that returned high-profile captives. Smiles in the KremlinAndrew Payne, a City University of London lecturer in foreign policy, told BI that Putin won the historic deal. "You could say in that sense that Putin got a better deal," Payne said. Though Putin won on a transactional level, the deal also greatly benefited Biden, Payne said. "For Biden, this deal signals that he's still in charge and still has what it takes to manage high-stakes diplomacy," he said.

Persons: —, Russia —, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kremlin Andrew Payne, Putin, launderers, Payne, Joe Biden, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Tucker Carlson, Sergej, Gershkovich, Emma Tucker, Sam Greene, Biden, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, Wall Street, Business, City University of London, Krasikov, European Resilience Initiative, BBC, Street, King's College London, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Kremlin, Berlin, Georgian, German, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan among Americans returning home from Russia in prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEvan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan among Americans returning home from Russia in prisoner swapWall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were released by Russia in a major, multi-nation prisoner swap involving two dozen individuals. CNBC's Eamon Javers has the details.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, CNBC's Eamon Javers Organizations: U.S . Marine Locations: Russia

☆ Prisoner swap underway between the U.S., Russia, and other countries, senior official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Carol E. Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

US journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused of espionage, smiles from inside a glass defendants' cage prior to a hearing in Yekaterinburg's Sverdlovsk Regional Court on June 26, 2024. A prisoner swap was underway between the United States, Russia, and other countries on Thursday, according to a senior Biden administration official. Relations between the two countries had been strained before the invasion, following Russian interference in the 2016 election and its annexation of Crimea. The most high-profile known U.S. prisoners in Russia right now are Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. Gershkovich, 32, detained in March 2023, was convicted by a Russian court earlier this year and sentenced to 16 years in prison in July.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Whelan Organizations: Court, Biden, U.S, Wall Street, U.S . Marine Locations: Sverdlovsk, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Crimea

The Russian officials took the proposal back to Moscow. It was a remarkably swift conclusion to years of painstaking negotiations between the US and more than half a dozen countries. Key to the deal was President Biden’s ability to persuade German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to release Krasikov, the Russian prisoner most keenly sought by Putin. Officials worked quietly throughout this year to get the German government to agree to release Krasikov — including entreaties from both Biden and Harris. President Biden sent a letter to Scholz in April, and the Germans at last agreed to release Krasikov in early June.

Persons: CNN —, Vadim Krasikov, who’d, who’s, Vladimir Putin, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Bill Burns, Gershkovich, Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Biden, Kamala Harris, Serdar Ozsoy, Biden’s, Olaf Scholz, Putin, Krasikov, Brittney Griner, Burns, –, Viktor Bout, Alexey Navalny, Brendan Smialowski, Antony Blinken, James Rubin, Blinken, Annalena Baerbock, Jake Sullivan, Harris, Scholz, “ Chancellor Scholz, “, Jake, ‘, ’, Sullivan, Navalny, Paul, Evan, ”, Ronald Wittek, Kara, Robert Golob, Kurmasheva’s, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Carstens, Jeff Flake, ” Flake, Flake, ” Sullivan Organizations: CNN, CIA, Wall Street, White, Base Andrews, Aircraft, Ankara Esenboga Airport, US Marine, WNBA, State Department, National Security Council, Krasikov, Getty, German, National, Biden, Munich, Conference, US, Munich Security, Aspen Security, Street, Hostage Affairs Locations: Eastern, Russia, Russian, Berlin, Moscow, American, Turkey, Ankara, Chechen, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Washington , DC, AFP, Germany, ”, Munich, Washington, Slovenian, Mordovia, “

☆ The US tried to secure Alexey Navalny's release in a historic prisoner swap with Russia before his death
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Several countries, including the US, carried out a major prisoner swap with Russia on Thursday. The US wanted Alexey Navalny, Putin's most vocal political dissident, to be part of the deal. The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin was open to the idea before Navalny's death in a Russian prison. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementVladimir Putin was open to releasing Alexey Navalny, the Russian leader's fiercest critic and political rival whose unexpected death in an Arctic penal colony sparked international backlash, as part of Thursday's historic prisoner swap, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza Organizations: Russia, Street Journal, Service, Wall Street Journal, Street, Washington Post, Business Locations: Russian, American

☆ Read Biden's statement on the release of Evan Gershkovich and other Americans imprisoned in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Read previewThe United States has agreed to a historic prisoner swap — the largest since the Cold War — with Russia and several other countries, the White House announced on Thursday. President Joe Biden had a direct hand in the negotiations that lead to the release of 16 prisoners in Russia, including five Germans, seven Russian citizens held in their own country, and 4 Americans, the White House said in a press release. The Americans include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was first detained in 2023 and sentenced to 16 years in prison in July on charges of espionage. AdvertisementRead Biden's full statement on the release below.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Evan Gershkovich, U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Muza Organizations: Service, White, Business, Wall Street, U.S . Marine Locations: States, Russia, U.S, American

☆ US deal freed a Russian prisoner whose crime was writing anti-war messages on supermarket price tags
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Skochilenko, a 33-year-old artist and musician, was arrested in April 2022 after she was caught replacing price tags in a St. Petersburg grocery store with anti-war messages. She is a pacifist who had no history of political activism before the supermarket incident, The Washington Post reported. AdvertisementAnother of the messages read, "Weekly inflation reached a new high not seen since 1998 because of our military actions in Ukraine. "This is just an incredible event," her mother Nadezhda Skochilenko told AFP.

Persons: —, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alexandra Skochilenko, Skochilenko, Nadezhda Skochilenko, I've Organizations: Service, Wall, Business, Washington Post, NPR, The Washington Post, Amnesty International, CNN, Agence France, Presse, AFP Locations: Russia, St, Petersburg, Mariupol, Ukraine, Germany, Paris

Russia freed two political prisoners in a major exchange with the US, Bloomberg and others reported. The swap was said to involve Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRussia freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan in an exchange with the US, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Gershkovich and Whelan were on their way to undisclosed locations outside Russia, per the outlet.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, —, Gershkovich, Whelan Organizations: US, Bloomberg, Wall, Service, Wall Street, Business Locations: Russia

☆ Who was freed in major prisoner swap between Russia and the West?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The German court that convicted Krasikov in 2021 said he acted on behalf of the Russian state, shooting Khangoshvili “execution style” in broad daylight. Vadim Konoshchenok, 48An undated photo of Vadim Konoshchenok included in a 2022 court document. He was arrested in February 2022, according to the Polish state news agency PAP. Lilia Chanysheva, 42Lilia Chanysheva stands is seen during a hearing at the Kirovskiy District Court in Ufa, Russia, on June 14, 2023. He was sentenced to four years in a penal colony in July 2022, according to Amnesty International.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Vadim Krasikov, Vadim Krasikov Berlin Police Krasikov, Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Khangoshvili, Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin, Viktor Bout, Whelan, Brittney, Biden, Alexey Navalny, Vadim Konoshchenok, Konoshchenok, Vladislav Klyushin, Klyushin, Roman Seleznev, US Department of Justice Roman Seleznev, Seleznev, Artem Dultsev, Ludvig Gish, Anna Dultseva, Dultsev, Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, Mikhail Mikushin, Pavel Rubtsov, Pablo Gonzalez, Oihana Goiriena, Vincent West, Pablo Gonzales, Natalia Kolesnikova, Kirill Kudryavtsev, US Marine Whelan, Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, Liberty Alsu Kurmasheva, Alexey Nasyrov, Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kara, Vladimir Putin’s “, ”, Rico Krieger, Krieger, Alexander Lukashenko, Kevin Lik, Lick, Dieter, Voronin, Ivan Safronov, Roscosmos, Demuri Voronin, Safronov, Herman Moyzhes, Moyzhes, Patrick Schoebel, Schoebel, Ilya Yashin, Yuri Kochetkov, ” Alexandra Skochilenko, Alexandra Skochilenko, Anton Vaganov, Skochilenko, “, ” Oleg Orlov, Oleg Orlov, Lilia Chanysheva, Chanysheva, Ksenia Fadeeva, Maxim Shemetov, Fadeeva, Vadim Ostanin, Alexei Navalny’s, Ostanin, Andrei Pivovarov, Pivovarov Organizations: CNN, Vadim Krasikov Berlin Police, Chechen, Russian, Krasikov, US Department of Justice, US, Office, Eastern, of, Attorney's, University of Tromsø, Reuters, Court, Getty, Street, US Marine, US State Department, Radio Free, Liberty, AP, Belarusian TV, Belteleradio, Human Rights, German Red Cross, TASS, German Federal Intelligence Service, Pulkovo, Ukraine, Amnesty International Locations: American, Russia, Moscow, Berlin’s Kleiner, Russian, Georgia, Estonia, of New York, Boston, Sion , Switzerland, United States, Maldives, Slovenia, Ljubljana, Norway, Brazilian, Nabarniz, Spain, Poland, Spanish, Sverdlovsk, AFP, Irish, Radio Free Europe, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Belarusian, German, Belarus, Berlin, Germany, Europe, St . Petersburg, St, Petersburg, Meshansky, Bucha, Kyiv, Saint Petersburg, Kirovskiy, Ufa, Bashkortostan, Tomsk, Krasnodar

☆ What a historic prisoner swap means for Vladimir Putin’s Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Nathan Hodge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Among those headed back to Russia are convicted hackers and several Russian nationals detained in the West for spying. And the biggest prize for Russia was the return of Vadim Krasikov, a convicted hitman whose release had been publicly sought by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Anna Chapman, one of 10 Russian sleeper agents deported from the US in a 2010 prisoner swap, was also feted on her return to Russia. Britain blamed the poisoning on Russia; Russia has consistently denied involvement, although Putin referred to Skripal as a “scumbag” and a “traitor,” his contempt suggesting that Skripal had gotten his just desserts. The release of Russians in the swap means that Russia’s political climate is no less repressive.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, John le, Vadim Krasikov, Vladimir Putin, Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Tucker Carlson, Putin, Khangoshvili, ” Krasikov, Viktor Bout, Brittney, US Department of Justice –, Bout, Anna Chapman, Chapman, ”, Sergei Skripal, Skripal, Yulia, Novichok, Frank Augstein, Alexander Litvinenko, Litvinenko, Andrei Lugovoi, Dmitri Kovtun –, Lugovoi, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Roman Abramovich, Hillary Clinton, Murza –, –, Alexandra Skochilenko Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Russia, Berlin Police, US Department of Justice, Hollywood, St ., Economic, Russian, Kremlin, European, of Human Rights Locations: American, Ukraine, Russia, Chechen, Berlin, Russian, St, St . Petersburg, United Kingdom, English, Salisbury, Britain, England, British, Moscow, Washington, United States

☆ Videos show the moment Americans were freed from Russian captivity after high-stakes prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewNew video footage reveals the moment that Russia freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and others in a massive prisoner swap that took place in Turkey on Thursday. Gershkovich, Whelan, and 14 others were released as part of a historic and high-stakes exchange with Russia that marked the most complex prisoner swap since the Cold War. Russia's Federal Security Service, more commonly known as the FSB, released several videos of the tense prisoner exchange at an airport in Turkey. AdvertisementThe Russian FSB released a video showing prisoners from the Russian side being loaded onto a plane bound for Turkey for a prisoner exchange. AdvertisementWhite House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that he could confirm there was no money exchanged or sanctions loosened to facilitate the prisoner swap.

Persons: —, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Gershkovich, Whelan, Joe Biden, Rico Krieger, — Hanna Liubakova, we've, Biden, Evan Greshkovich, eason, hite, J ake S ullivan, ould Organizations: Service, Wall Street, Business, Russia's Federal Security Service, RIA Novosti, FSB, Russian Federal Security Service, lsu Locations: Russia, Turkey, Russia's, Moscow, Ankara, Belarus

☆ Vance defends Trump over former president’s false claims about Harris’ racial identity
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Eric Bradner | Kit Maher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

I think it’s totally reasonable for the president to call that out, and that’s all he did,” Vance said. Trump’s remarks are false – Harris, who was born in Oakland, California, and attended the historically Black Howard University in Washington, has never downplayed her racial identity. “And I think it’s because bad guys all over the world recognize Donald Trump’s about to be back in office, so they’re cleaning house. It would not have solved any of the problems that Kamala Harris has caused.”He said the Biden administration should instead take executive action. “They just need to empower Border Patrol to tell people who want to come in illegally, ‘You’re not allowed to do that.’ They just need to use the authority that the border czar, Kamala Harris, has.”

Persons: Vance, Donald Trump’s, Kamala Harris, “, ”, CNN’s Steve Contorno, Trump, Harris, United States —, –, ” Vance, Harris ’, ” “ JD Vance, Donald Trump, Sarafina Chitika, Trump’s, – Harris, Barack Obama, “ It’s, “ I’ve, I’ve, he’s, Biden, Evan Gershkovich, Marine Paul Whelan, Obama, ‘ You’re Organizations: CNN, Republican, National Association of Black Journalists ’, Republicans, Capitol, Black Howard University, Ohio Republican, Trump, United, United States Marine, Wall Street, Marine, Central America, White, Border Locations: Ohio, United States, Mexico, Cochise County , Arizona, Canada, Montreal, Atlanta, Oakland , California, Washington, Houston, Russia, Arizona, Central, Central America

☆ Biden celebrates prisoner deal and importance of allies in key moment for his legacy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Biden also had multiple conversations about the deal with his German counterpart Olaf Scholz, including when the chancellor visited the Oval Office in February. Convicted Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, who was jailed in Germany, was critical to getting Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a deal. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me, but not for anyone else, and WE WILL BE PAYING NOTHING!” Trump said. “Why didn’t he do it when he was president?” Biden said before turning to leave the room. A senior administration official defended the release of Krasikov as part of the deal.

Persons: Russia –, Joe Biden, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kamala Harris, Biden, Donald Trump’s, Harris, “, ” Biden, ” Trump, ”, They’re, Olaf Scholz, Vadim Krasikov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, CNN’s Steve Contorno, Trump, Gershkovich, Whelan, Scholz, Krasikov, Paul, Evan, Alsu, Vladimir, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Alsu Kurmasheva, CNN’s MJ Lee, Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood, Ivana Kottasova, Alex Marquardt, Betsy Klein, Donald Judd, Sam Fossum, Steve Contorno, Kit Maher, Jeff Zeleny Organizations: CNN, Russia, Wall Street, NATO, Slovenian, HOME, WE, White, Munich, Conference, “ Locations: United States of America, Russia, Israel, Ukraine, Germany, Ohio, Berlin, American, Russian

CNN —A large-scale prisoner swap between the US and Russia is under way, according to a source familiar, and it is expected to include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and a number of Americans. The parties have agreed to a prisoner transfer and the prisoners are expected to be in the care of US officials, according to a senior administration official. The deal would end a nightmare that lasted more than five years for Whelan and more than a year for Gershkovich. The former US Marine was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges he vehemently denies. In April of that year, Moscow exchanged former US Marine Trevor Reed for Russian citizen and convicted drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Gershkovich, Whelan –, –, ” It’s, Trevor Reed, Konstantin Yaroshenko, Brittney Griner, Viktor Bout Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Gershkovich, US State Department, Marine, Russian Locations: Russia, Moscow, Washington, Yekaterinburg, Irish, Mordovia, Russian

☆ WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, ex-Marine Whelan released in U.S., Russia prisoner swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowWall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were released Thursday by Russia as part of a major, multi-nation swap of two dozen prisoners. "All four have been imprisoned unjustly in Russia," President Joe Biden said in a televised address from the White House, where he was flanked by their family members. Eight Russians, including the spy and convicted hitman Vadim Krasikov, are being returned to Russia from the United States, Slovenia, Norway, Poland and Germany. "The deal that secured their freedom was a feat of diplomacy," Biden said in a statement released by the White House, where Biden planned to meet family members of the released Americans. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the release of Americans detained in Russia during brief remarks from the White House in Washington, U.S., August 1, 2024.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Joe Biden, Vadim Krasikov, Paul Whelan, Krasikov, Gershkovich, Whelan, Kurmasheva, Kara, Biden, we've, Jake Sullivan, " Sullivan, Nathan Howard, Reuters Gershkovich, Dieter Voronin, Kevin Lick, Rico Krieger, Patrick Schoebel, Herman Moyzhes, Ilya Yashin, Liliya, Kseniya Fadeyeva, Vadim Ostanin, Andrey Pivovarov, Oleg Orlov, Sasha Skochilenko, Artem Viktorovich Dultsev, Anna Valerevna Dultseva, Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin, Pavel Alekseyevich Rubtsov, Roman Seleznev, Vladislav Klyushin, Vadim Konoshchenock Organizations: Wall Street, U.S . Marine, White, Biden, National, Reuters Locations: Russia, American, Russian, Turkey, United States, Slovenia, Norway, Poland, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Washington , U.S, Moscow

☆ Gordon Black: US Soldier sentenced to nearly four years in Russian penal colony, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A Russian court on Wednesday sentenced a US soldier to three years and nine months in a penal colony on charges of theft and threatening murder, state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Gordon Black was arrested in May on charges of theft in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, where he had traveled to visit a woman, believed to be his girlfriend. Black was also accused of assaulting the woman during a quarrel. The US soldier did not admit to charges of threatening to kill the woman, but partially admitted guilt to theft charges, RIA Novosti previously reported. Black will appeal the sentence handed down by the court in Vladivostok, his lawyer said Wednesday, according to TASS.

Persons: Gordon Black, Black, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich Organizations: CNN, RIA Novosti, Staff, TASS, RIA, US State Department, Wall Street, Wall, Journal Locations: Vladivostok, Russia, South Korea, Pervomaisky, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg

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