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CNN —Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva said she’s “finally being treated as a human being” following her release from Russian detention in a historic prisoner exchange between Washington and the Kremlin last week. “I’ve been waking up from that nightmare,” Kurmasheva told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” in her first television interview since her release. Kurmasheva rushed into the arms of her husband and daughters on the tarmac after greeting Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden. The US-backed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist had been detained in October 2023 and found guilty of spreading false information about the Russian army – charges her family and employer deny. Kurmasheva and her husband, Pavel Butorin, have two daughters, including one who turned 13 just minutes after reuniting with her mother.

Persons: Alsu Kurmasheva, she’s “, “ I’ve, ” Kurmasheva, CNN’s Jake Tapper, “, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kurmasheva, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Pavel Butorin, Tapper, ”, Pavel, ” Pavel, wasn’t, —, Gershkovich, haven’t, Vladyslav, Ihar, Andrey Kuznechyk, Kurmasheva’s, she’s, we’ll, Vadim Krasikov, Biden, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Carstens, Trevor Reed, Brittney Griner, we’ve, We’ve, ” Carstens, ” Sen, Lindsey Graham, Marc Fogel, Fogel, someone’s, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, Base Andrews, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Wall Street, RFE, Ukrainian Service, publication’s, publication’s Belarus Service, Belarus Service, ” Hostage, Biden, Hostage Affairs, US, Fox News, South Carolina Republican Locations: American, Washington, Maryland, Radio Free Europe, Russian, Kazan, Moscow, Ankara, ”, Russia, Crimea, publication’s Belarus, Minsk, Belarus, Germany, Berlin

As he stood on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews late Thursday night, Pavel Butorin was in disbelief. Days before, his wife of two decades — Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva — had been sentenced to 6½ years in a Russian prison for spreading false information about the country’s military, a conviction press freedom and human rights groups denounced as politically-motivated. “It was only then when I realized it is actually happening,” Butorin told NBC News. While on the tarmac, their younger daughter described how much she just wanted to touch Kurmasheva, Butorin said. "No matter what verdict or sentence a corrupt Russian court issued against her, we know that she’s not a criminal."

Persons: Base Andrews, Pavel Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva —, Butorin, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, ” Butorin, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Alsu Kurmasheva, Roberto Schmidt, Taylor, Miriam, wasn’t, ”, Bibi, ” Kurmasheva, ” Bibi, “, Kurmasheva Organizations: Base, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Wall Street, Marine, NBC News, Base Andrews, AFP, Getty, White Locations: American, Prague, Russia, Radio Free Europe, Maryland, Poland, United States

☆ 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

☆ Instead of Taylor Swift on her birthday, daughter of journalist held in Russia gets even better gift — her mom
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Caroline-Radnofsky-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Caroline Radnofsky | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Nearly one year ago, the family of Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva purchased tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday as a birthday gift for her daughter Miriam. Now Miriam, who turns 13 on Friday, gets to celebrate a more special gift: her mother’s freedom and safe return. From left, Pavel Butorin, Bibi Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Miriam Butorin at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Aug. 1, 2024. “The Taylor Swift tickets were the original birthday gift for Miriam who turns 13 today. Her original birthday gift were these Taylor Swift tickets, but an even bigger present was her mom returning,” he said.

Persons: Alsu Kurmasheva, Taylor, Miriam, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan —, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Pavel Butorin, Bibi Butorin, Miriam Butorin, Roberto Schmidt, ” Ari Goldberg, “, Alsu, ” Goldberg, Taylor Swift, ”, It's, Bibi, Kurmasheva Organizations: Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Wall Street, Marine, Joint Base Andrews, AFP, Getty, today’s, RFE, Inc, NBC Locations: American, Warsaw, Poland, Radio Free Europe, Russia, U.S, Maryland, today’s Warsaw

☆ Opinion | Reflections About the Prisoner Swap
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Journalists and Dissidents Freed From Russia in Swap of 24 Inmates” (front page, Aug. 2):As a former U.S. journalist in Moscow, I am naturally delighted that Evan Gershkovich is back at home after 16 months of wrongful detention in Russia. But it is galling to see him and other innocent Americans being exchanged in a Cold War-style spy swap for a trained assassin and long-term sleeper agents. Engaging in hostage diplomacy only encourages hostile governments to seize more Americans as hostages whenever they want to recover one of their own killers or spies. Even at the height of the Cold War, American journalists in Moscow never feared arbitrary detention in a K.G.B. It seems that the only language that authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin understand is reciprocity.

Persons: Freed, Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Putin, ” Organizations: “ Journalists Locations: Russia, U.S, Moscow, American, Russian

☆ 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

☆ Freed American’s family to miss Taylor Swift concert for the very best reason
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Miriam Butorin was supposed to attend Taylor Swift’s concert on Friday for her 13th birthday. Miriam’s mother, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, was released Thursday from Russian detention in a historic prisoner swap. When CNN spoke with Kurmasheva’s family in mid-July, her husband, Pavel Butorin, had mentioned the concert tickets. “We were so confident that she would get back to us that I bought Taylor Swift tickets…in June or July…for August 2024,” Butorin said at the time. Even though they are missing Friday’s concert, Butorin expressed confidence the family would still get to go to a Swift concert in the future.

Persons: CNN — Miriam Butorin, Taylor, Alsu Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kurmasheva, Joe Biden, Miriam, Pavel Butorin, Bibi Butorin, Miriam Butorin, Manuel Balce Ceneta, Biden, Kamala Harris, Kurmasheva’s, Taylor Swift, ” Butorin, “, ”, Butorin Organizations: CNN, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, White, Andrews Air Force Base, Base Andrews Locations: American, Radio Free Europe, Russia, United States, Maryland, Warsaw

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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, “

☆ 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

CNN —A Russian court has sentenced Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist, to six-and-a-half years in prison, state news agency TASS reported Monday. The hearing, which was held behind closed doors, found Kurmasheva guilty of spreading false information about the Russian army, making her just the latest US journalist to be convicted in the country in recent months. When asked about this possibility earlier Monday, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “I have no answer to this question. We need her home.”Before her conviction, Butorin told CNN he was “so confident that she would get back to us that I bought Taylor Swift tickets” for August this year. After her passports were taken, she was fined and placed under de facto – and then formal – house arrest for months, before being charged in December.

Persons: Alsu Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich, Dmitry Peskov, “, ”, –, Stephen Capus, ” Capus, ” Pavel Butorin, Butorin, Taylor Swift, ” Butorin, Kurmasheva, Gershkovich Organizations: CNN, Radio Free, Radio Liberty, RFE Locations: Russian, American, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, United States, Prague, Radio Free Europe, Russia, facto

☆ An American mom who moved to the French Alps experienced the impacts of over-tourism firsthand. She says there's a better way to do it
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-21 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

BI: Why do you think your book — and conversations about how to be a better traveler — are important right now? And actually surveys are showing that people are more concerned about sustainability, they're more concerned about their impacts on communities. Related storiesIn 2018, I moved with my family to a little village in the French Alps. I had a chance to see firsthand how tourism really brought life into this village that would otherwise have become a ghost town, probably 50 years ago. It was really so moving to this village that that inspired me to start looking at travel and tourism in my journalism.

Persons: that's, it's, Paige McClanahan's, Paige McClanahan, we're, I'm, Agnes Kard, they're, who's, nothing's Organizations: Service, Tourism, New Yorker Locations: Rome, American, France, French, Tourism, Europe, Paris

CNN —A verdict is expected in the coming hours in the espionage case of the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, with Russian prosecutors seeking an 18-year prison sentence in what his employer and the US government have dismissed as a sham trial. The court in Yekaterinburg will announce the verdict on Friday at 5 p.m. local time (8 a.m. Earlier Friday, the court heard closing arguments and Gershkovich delivered his closing remarks behind closed doors. The state prosecution service has requested 18 years in prison for Gershkovich, according to state news agency TASS, citing the court. Gershkovich, the US government and the WSJ have vehemently denied the charges against him.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, CIA, WSJ Locations: Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Gershkovich, American

☆ Evan Gershkovich: Russian trial of US journalist resumes after being brought forward
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Sergey Gudkov | Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A Russian court resumed the trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich on Thursday after it was moved forward by one month. Initially slated for August, his trial was brought forward at the request of the defense. The trial is being held behind closed doors and little information on the hearing was immediately available. Gershkovich was arrested while reporting for the Wall Street Journal, during a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg in March 2023, and later accused of spying for the CIA. Gershkovich, the US government, and the WSJ have vehemently denied the charges against him.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich, Roger Carstens Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, CIA, WSJ, Embassy, TASS Locations: American, Russia, Sverdlovsky, Yekaterinburg

☆ Travis Leake: US rock band manager sentenced to 13 years in Russian penal colony over drug charges
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Sergey Gudkov | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —American citizen Travis Leake has been sentenced to 13 years in a penal colony in Russia, state media RIA Novosti reported Thursday, after he was detained on drug charges last year. A Moscow court had accused the “former paratrooper and musician” of engaging in a narcotics business, according to RIA. Leake pleaded not guilty to the charges, Russian state media TASS said. From January to June 2023, Leake allegedly purchased narcotic drugs from an accomplice in another criminal case, Russian state media reported, citing Moscow’s prosecutor’s office. A second person involved in the case was also found guilty and sentenced to time in a penal colony, Russian state media reported Thursday.

Persons: Travis Leake, ”, Leake, “, ” Leake, Evan Gershkovich, Anthony Bourdain, Moscow’s Organizations: CNN, Novosti, RIA, TASS Locations: Russia, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, American, Lovi, St . Petersburg

CNN —Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen was sentenced to eight years in prison by a Moscow court Monday for criticizing the Russian military, becoming the latest target of a crackdown on critics of the Kremlin. Gessen was convicted in absentia on charges of disseminating “false information” about the Russian armed forces, according to the Moscow court statement. My statements are based on data collected during my journalistic work,” Gessen said, highlighting a series of interviews they conducted in Bucha, Irpin, Kyiv, and Kryvyi Rih in 2022, as well as their previous journalistic work in Chechnya. While the Russian military has conducted its invasion, the Kremlin has sought to stifle criticism of its strategy at home. “I am outside the Russian Federation, so the so-called court can ‘consider’ my case, ‘arrest,’ and ‘sentence’ me only in absentia.

Persons: Masha Gessen, Gessen, ” Gessen, Vladimir Putin’s, “, Yuri, Kryvyi, ”, Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, The New York Times, Facebook, YouTube, “, Russian Armed Forces, Criminal Court, ICC, Russian Federation, Wall Street, CIA, WSJ, US State Department Locations: American, Moscow, Russian, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Bucha, Irpin, Kyiv, Chechnya, Sverdlovsk, Yekaterinburg

☆ Russia Sentences U.S. Journalist in Absentia for Ukraine War Comments
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Moscow court on Monday sentenced in absentia Masha A. Gessen, the Russian-born American journalist, author and New York Times staff member, to eight years in prison over comments they made about atrocities that the Russian military has been accused of committing in Ukraine. Gessen, who lives in the United States and uses the pronoun they, in August over a 2022 interview they gave to Yuri Dud, a popular online Russian journalist. The corpses of at least 400 civilians were found in Bucha after Russian forces retreated from the city. Gessen guilty of spreading “false information” about the Russian military, an all-too-common tactic against critics as the Kremlin uses the courts to suppress any information about the war that diverges from the official version. Russia has accused Ukraine and its Western allies of staging the Bucha massacre.

Persons: Masha A, Yuri Organizations: New York Times, YouTube, Kremlin Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, United States, Ukrainian, Bucha, Russia’s Basmanny, Russia

☆ Where did all the lifeguards go?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Kelli María Korducki | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

My girlfriends, a year or two older, were most interested in catching the eye of the male lifeguards. The swim disparities also influenced the scope of a lifeguard's job. While the lack of qualified lifeguards may partly stem from this problem, getting more lifeguards on stands could turn things around. As we enter our fourth year without enough lifeguards, it's hard to imagine them retaking the podium as the cultural idol of American summer. When more cities prioritize safe water access for the masses — and pay lifeguards accordingly — the mighty lifeguard just may rise again.

Persons: Marco Polo, I'd, fawning, Wyatt Werneth, Werneth, —, Jessi Adler, Adler, hasn't, lifeguarding, Jason Russell, it's, Russell, Jeff Wiltse, Wiltse, KENA BETANCUR, Suburbanites Organizations: American Lifeguard Association, Getty, Lyndon, Johnson, SUNY Empire State, World, Association, American, of Public Health, New, Civil Rights Movement, Employers Locations: Milwaukee, America, Southern California, Michigan, Central Texas, Canada, New York City, Chicago, Denver, Baltimore, San Antonio

☆ Evan Gershkovich: Russia begins espionage trial of US reporter behind closed doors
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The trial of Evan Gershkovich, the first American journalist to be arrested on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War, began Wednesday morning in a closed door hearing that has been condemned by his newspaper and the United States. While many newsrooms subsequently pulled their reporters out of Russia, Gershkovich remained, covering the war and how it was changing life in Russia. Footage on Wednesday morning showed Gershkovich inside a glass court cage, his head shaved, ahead of the trial due to start imminently behind closed doors. The trial of Gershkovich, the American-born son of Soviet-era emigres to the US, has highlighted the extent to which Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has harmed relations between Moscow and Washington. Gershkovich seen inside an enclosure for defendants in Yekaterinburg, Russia on June 26, 2024.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich, Gershkovich “, Matthew Miller, ” Miller, Ella Milman, Mikhail Gershkovich, “ He’s, ” Milman, He’s, Evan, Evgenia Novozhenina, Natalia Kolesnikova, Emma Tucker, “, ” Tucker, Joe Biden, Evan ”, Paul Whelan, Whelan, ”, Biden, Brittney Griner, –, Griner, Viktor Bout, Bout, Putin, Tucker Carlson, Andrei Soldatov, Vladimir Putin, Vadim Krasikov, ” Putin, Gershkovich’s, Mikhail Organizations: CNN, Wall Street, Russia, CIA, WSJ, US State Department, State, Reuters, Getty, Journalism, “, Kremlin, Tucker Carlson Network Locations: American, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Washington, Sverdlovsk Regional, Russian, Moscow’s, AFP, Soviet, Ukrainian, Chechen, Berlin

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