Russia freed US journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan on Thursday, according to the Turkish presidency. Their releases were part of the largest East-West prisoner exchanges since the end of the Cold War.
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 more than two dozen people free, officials said.