The United States says Russia has made a “serious” proposal, involving former Marine Paul Whelan and The Wall Street Journaljournalist Evan Gershkovich would be released, has refused.
Whelan is a former American Marine who has been detained in Russia since 2018 for espionage. According to his family, he was attacked by a fellow inmate last week because he is American. Journalist Gershkovich has also been detained since March on suspicion of espionage. His detention was extended last week until January.
It is not clear what the Americans’ proposal entailed and whether the two prisoners should have been exchanged for Russians held in the US. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who announced that Russia had rejected the “serious” proposal, did not share details.
A year ago, a prisoner exchange took place between Russia and the US. Then American basketball star Brittney Griner was released in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The Americans then also wanted to include Whelan in the deal, but the Kremlin did not want that.
2023-12-05 20:58:53
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