The story behind a landmark prisoner swap
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 1 August 2024
⏱️ 32 minutes
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Summary
Today, we hear about the secret negotiations that led to an extraordinary prisoner swap on Thursday. Among the freed: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, other Americans, Russian dissidents – and a convicted assassin.
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On Thursday, the biggest exchange of prisoners since the height of the Cold War took place.
The quiet negotiations took months between the U.S., Russia and several European nations. Among the at least two dozen people freed was Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, detained in Russia on charges of espionage in 2023. Also, Paul Whelan, a former Marine who had been imprisoned in Russia for more than five years. Russian dissidents, along with a convicted Russian assassin, were also among those freed.
Host Martine Powers speaks with national security reporter Shane Harris about the buildup to this landmark prisoner swap, how it unfolded in these final hours and what the U.S. gave up to make it happen.
Today’s show was produced by Rennie Svirnovskiy, with help from Sabby Robinson and Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Monica Campbell, with support from Reena Flores. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Jennifer Amur and David Herszenhorn.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So this morning on an airfield in Ankara Turkey, we witnessed the biggest |
| 0:06.4 | international exchange of prisoners since the Cold War. |
| 0:10.3 | That's Shane Harris, who covers intelligence and national security for the post. |
| 0:15.0 | And he is one of many reporters in our newsroom covering this landmark event, |
| 0:20.0 | a high stakes negotiation that led to a swap of at least two dozen people. |
| 0:26.4 | This was a long-awaited for a moment which saw ultimately freed people who had been held in Russia for many years in exchange for some people |
| 0:36.9 | held in the United States Germany and elsewhere whom the Russian government |
| 0:40.1 | wanted back very badly. So this massive prisoner swap played out on this airfield. |
| 0:46.4 | Various prisoners got onto different planes and flew to freedom this morning. |
| 0:53.0 | What it took to get to this moment, as you'll hear from Shane, is honestly pretty extraordinary. |
| 0:59.0 | For years, the United States has been trying to win the release of a number of Americans who officials say are unjustly held in Russia. |
| 1:09.0 | They include a man named Paul Wheelen who has been in custody for more than five years imprisoned in Russia, |
| 1:14.4 | accused on baseless charges of espionage. |
| 1:17.3 | Under heavy guard in the courtroom, Paul Wheeling continued to insist on his innocence, |
| 1:22.3 | even as a panel of three judges sentenced him to |
| 1:24.8 | 16 years in a prison labor camp. |
| 1:27.7 | People like Evan Gerschkevich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who listeners probably |
| 1:31.4 | have heard has been in Russia for more than a year. |
| 1:33.7 | Russian security officials claim that Evan Gerskovich, he works for the Wall Street Journal, |
| 1:38.0 | was trying to obtain classified information. |
| 1:41.0 | And Vladimir Karamor Morza, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and contributor to the Washington Post, who |
| 1:46.7 | is very outspoken in his opposition of Vladimir Putin's government. |
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