Paul Whelan

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Ex-Iran Captive Speaks on Gershkovich, Others
Ex-Iran Captive
Speaks on
Gershkovich,
Others
OPINION
Aug 2, 2024 5:05 PM CDT

Ex-Iran Captive Speaks on Gershkovich, Others

Journalist Jason Rezaian says US government should help Americans set free by Russia to readjust

(Newser) - It's been more than eight years since Iran released Jason Rezaian in a prisoner swap with the United States, but if anyone understands what Evan Gershkovich , Paul Whelan , and Alsu Kurmasheva have ahead of them after arriving back in the US , it's the Washington Post columnist. In his...

At Olympics, Griner 'Head Over Heels' About Prisoner Swap

'It's a great day,' WNBA star says of Gershkovich, Whelan

(Newser) - It's been more than a year since Brittney Griner was released from a Russian prison, but Russia was definitely on her mind Thursday as news trickled in about the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, ex-Marine Paul Whelan, and US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva. "It's a...

'There Was No Deal to Be Had' Without Vadim Krasikov
'There Was No Deal to Be
Had' Without Vadim Krasikov
the rundown
Aug 2, 2024 7:31 AM CDT

'There Was No Deal to Be Had' Without Vadim Krasikov

A look inside the unprecedented prisoner swap that was months in the making

(Newser) - It was the biggest prisoner swap in recent history , involving 24 people and seven countries. Sixteen journalists, pro-democracy activists, and others held by Russia and Belarus were exchanged Thursday for eight Russians jailed for espionage, murder, hacking, and other crimes in the US, Norway, Germany, Slovenia, and Poland. Here's...

Gershkovich, Whelan Are Back on US Soil

They arrive, along with 3rd freed American, after massive prisoner swap

(Newser) - The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history on Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, along with dissidents including Vladimir Kara-Murza, in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free. Gershkovich, Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist with...

It's the Biggest Prisoner Swap Since the Cold War
It's the Biggest Prisoner
Swap Since the Cold War
the rundown
Aug 1, 2024 1:41 PM CDT

It's the Biggest Prisoner Swap Since the Cold War

3 US citizens freed by Russia, while a Russian hit man gets his freedom, too

(Newser) - The deal that resulted in the biggest and most complex prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War took more than a year of secret negotiations, reports Reuters . The most well-known names involved are Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, but 22 other prisoners also were in the mix,...

Russia Frees Americans Gershkovich, Whelan in Swap

About 2 dozen prisoners on both sides are involved in the deal

(Newser) - Russia has freed Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan as part of a large prisoner swap with the West, reports the AP . Turkish officials confirmed the swap on Thursday after reports emerged at Bloomberg and the Daily Beast , among other outlets. Details were still emerging.
  • Two big names: Gershkovich, a
...

Russia Sentences American Journalist to 16 Years

Evan Gershkovich is convicted of spying, a charge the US calls a sham

(Newser) - A Russian court handed down a 16-year sentence to American journalist Evan Gershkovich on Friday, reports the Washington Post . The 32-year-old reporter for the Wall Street Journal was convicted of spying for the CIA, a charge the US and his newspaper employer say is a sham. (Prosecutors sought 18 years...

Another American Has Been Detained in Russia

Robert Romanov Woodland, who holds dual US-Russian citizenship, is being held on drug charges

(Newser) - A man from upstate New York is Russia's latest arrestee. The Moscow Times reports that Robert Romanov Woodland, believed to be in his early 30s, has been hit with drug charges there, accused of the "illegal acquisition, storage, transportation, production, [and] processing of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, or...

Putin Makes First Comments on Evan Gershkovich

Russian leader says he wants to 'find a solution,' but US isn't so sure he's been acting in good faith

(Newser) - The US said earlier this month that Russia recently rejected a "substantial offer" to free two Americans, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan. According to Vladimir Putin, however, he's still open-minded on striking a deal, noting during his annual end-of-year presser on Thursday that...

US: Russia Rejected 'Substantial' Deal to Free Americans

Sources say deal would have involved a prisoner swap for Gershkovich, Whelan

(Newser) - The US recently made a "substantial" offer that would have seen two Americans freed from Russian captivity, but Russia rejected the deal, a US State Department spokesperson says. The deal would have freed Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter whose detention was just extended after eight months behind...

One of Putin's Assassins May Be Key in Prisoner Swap

'Wall Street Journal' explores the world of jailed hit man Vadim Krasikov

(Newser) - Somewhere in Germany, a Russian by the name of Vadim Krasikov is serving out his life sentence for the brazen execution of a man in a Berlin park crowded with families in 2019. As the Wall Street Journal reports, after Krasikov calmly shot his victim multiple times, he bicycled away,...

Family Gets 1st Glimpse of Paul Whelan in 3 Years

He reportedly refused to answer RT reporter's questions, leading to retaliation

(Newser) - New video aired Monday by Russian state-controlled media shows Paul Whelan, the former US Marine jailed on unsubstantiated espionage charges in Russia, going about his day in a penal colony. Whelan, wearing a black prison uniform, is seen eating in a cafeteria with other inmates, working on a sewing machine,...

Russia Charges Another US Citizen With Spying

Gene Spector is already jailed in Russia after pleading guilty to bribery

(Newser) - An American serving a 3.5-year prison sentence for bribery in Russia has now been charged with espionage. Gene Spector, a US citizen who was born and raised in St. Petersburg, allegedly admitted to bribing a former aide to Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich last year. He was charged in...

Russia Releases Another Detained American

Case of Taylor Dudley hadn't been widely known

(Newser) - Russia has released a US Navy veteran who'd been detained for nine months, reports the Washington Post . The name Taylor Dudley of Lansing, Michigan, may not ring a bell, however, because the 35-year-old's family had largely kept his case under the public radar, per CNN . Former New Mexico...

Brittney Griner Wants You to Send Paul Whelan a Letter

WNBA wants people who supported her to do the same for other detained Americans

(Newser) - Letters from supporters ensured Brittney Griner "never lost hope" during 10 months in Russian detention—and she hopes they'll do the same for Paul Whelan. "I hope you'll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and...

Here's What Russia Wanted in Exchange for Whelan

Officials pushed for release of Vadim Krasikov, detained in Germany: CNN

(Newser) - The family of Paul Whelan is holding out hope that "the third time is the charm." Referencing the releases this year of other Russian detainees Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner, the family said Monday it has faith that freeing Whelan remains a top priority for the Biden administration....

Trump: I Turned Down Trading Bout for Whelan

US and Russia plan to discuss American's release this week

(Newser) - Former President Trump said Sunday that he rejected a Russian prisoner trade that would have freed American Paul Whelan. In a post on Truth Social, the Hill reports, Trump said the price—the US release of notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout—was too high. "I turned down a deal...

Brittney Griner Makes a Fitting First Move

WNBA star dunks in light basketball workout

(Newser) - Brittney Griner still hasn't addressed the public since her release from prison in Russia, but ESPN reports a nice development in her journey back to normalcy: She's dunking basketballs again. Griner's agent tells the outlet that the WNBA star worked out on a basketball court for the...

Griner in 'Very Good Spirits,' as Viktor Bout Slams US

WNBA star has been reunited with her wife in Texas

(Newser) - No new photographs or video emerged Friday afternoon of Brittney Griner, but the newly freed athlete has been reunited with her wife and appears to be in good health after 10 months in custody in Russia.
  • “She has been reunited with her wife, Cherelle," said White House press
...

Whelan: 'I Don't Understand Why I'm Still Sitting Here'

He's glad Griner is free, but 'greatly disappointed' he's still being held in Russia

(Newser) - WNBA star Brittney Griner is on her way back to the US after a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Relatives of another American still imprisoned in Russia say that while the deal was the right thing to do, this is still a painful moment for them—and...

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