Alsu Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich, and Paul Whelan -- three U.S. citizens freed by Russia in the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War -- were greeted by President Joe Biden and family amid cheers from those gathered at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington, D.C.
Emotional Reunions With Family As Released Prisoners Greeted By Biden
RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva (right) hugs her daughters, Bibi and Miriam, as her husband, Pavel Butorin, looks on at Andrews Air Force Base following her release as part of a 24-person prisoner swap between Russia and the United States late on August 1.
Gershkovich and his family.
Accredited by Russia's Foreign Ministry and based out of The Wall Street Journal's Moscow bureau, Gershkovich was accused of trying to access classified information. Gershkovich was the first American journalist to be arrested on spy accusations in post-Soviet Russia.
Harris and Biden welcome former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan as he disembarks the plane.
Whelan, 54, was arrested in December 2018 while visiting Moscow for a friend's wedding, and accused of receiving a computer flash drive that contained classified information.
Harris smiles as Biden hugs Whelan as he arrived on August 1.
Whelan, who also holds British, Canadian, and Irish citizenship, had been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris speak with Kurmasheva and family.
Kurmasheva, a Prague-based editor for RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service, was detained by authorities in June 2023 as she was visiting relatives in the central Russian region of Tatarstan.
Kurmasheva embraces her family.
On July 19, Kurmasheva was convicted by a Tatarstan court and sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison, after a secret, closed-door trial.
Biden speaks to the press following the prisoners' arrival.
Gershkovich smiles for the media.
Kurmasheva's family race to greet her as she disembarked the plane on August 1.