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