Welcome to this week’s Intelligence Brief… on Thursday, a historic multi-nation swap led to the release of reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan by Russia alongside several other detainees. In our analysis, we’ll be looking at 1) details about the unprecedented prisoner swap, 2) the events that led to the wrongful imprisonment of Gershkovich and Whelan, 3) reactions from the Wall Street Journal’s Editor in Chief following the release of its imprisoned employer, and 4) the White House’s response to Thursday’s turn of events.
Quote of the Week
“This is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon. Our alliances make Americans safer.”
– President Joe Biden
Latest News: In recent articles at The Debrief, researchers have devised a new method of detecting gravitational waves that might be produced by alien warp drives. Elsewhere, the world’s first grid-scale wave energy harvesting device has been installed off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. You’ll find links to all of our recent stories at the end of this week’s newsletter.
Podcasts: In podcasts this week, over on The Micah Hanks Program I take a deep dive into Operation Paperclip, the controversial U.S. program that brought Nazi scientists to work in post-war America. Meanwhile, in advance of the return of The Debrief Weekly Report from its summer break, you can catch up on past episodes over on The Debrief’s Podcasts Page.
Video News: On Rebelliously Curious, Chrissy Newton is joined by Dr. Julia Mossbridge for a discussion involving taboos, fear, and their relationship to UAP. Be sure to check out other great content from The Debrief on our official YouTube Channel.
With announcements all out of the way, we’ll now shift our attention over to the surprising turn of events that unfolded early on Thursday, which saw the release of two wrongfully accused Americans from their imprisonment in Russia.
American Prisoners Released in Multi-Nation Swap
A multi-nation swap involving two dozen prisoners has led to the release of reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who were freed by Russia on Thursday.
Along with Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, and Whelan, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and British-Russian activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, as well as several other German and Russian citizens, were also among those released.
“Now their brutal ordeal is over, and they’re free,” President Joe Biden said during a press conference on Thursday, calling their release “an incredible relief for all the family members.”
A Historic Release
The arrest and imprisonment of Gershkovich and Whelan, both American citizens, had remained a source of tension between the U.S. and Russia for years.
Whelan, who was arrested in December 2018, was accused of espionage after being detained while traveling in Russia on an American passport. Whelan holds British, Irish, and Canadian citizenship along with being a U.S. citizen and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Gershkovich was arrested last March by Russian authorities under similar charges of espionage. The Biden Administration has pushed back on the claims, saying he was wrongly imprisoned and likely had been targeted only because of his American citizenship.
The trial that found Gershkovich guilty also sentenced him to 16 years in a high-security Russian prison.
Negotiations Bring Resolution
The negotiations involved the prisoners being flown to Turkey for the exchange. Eight Russians, which included convicted hitman and spy Vadim Krasikov, are also being returned to Russia.
According to U.S. officials who spoke in advance of Thursday’s multi-nation swap, Krasikov’s release had been a focal point of the exchange. Several of the other Russian prisoners had previously been held in European countries.
“Not since the Cold War has there been a similar number of individuals exchanged in this way, and there has never, so far as we know, been an exchange involving so many countries, so many close US partners and allies working together,” said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan earlier on Thursday.
“Today’s exchange will be historic,” Sullivan added.
A Word from Wall Street
In a statement published by the Wall Street Journal, Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker called it a “joyous day for the safe return of our colleague Evan Gershkovich,” also acknowledging the reporter’s family and calling it “a joyous day for the millions of well-wishers in the U.S. and around the world who stood with Evan and defended the free press.”
Tucker also called the tradeoff with Russia that involved the return of criminals “predictable as the only solution given President Putin’s cynicism.”
Tucker expressed gratitude to the Biden Administration “for working with persistence and determination to bring Evan home rather than see him shipped off to a Russian work camp for a crime he didn’t commit.”
Washington Weighs In
Speaking from the White House on Thursday afternoon, President Biden called the historic release “a feat of diplomacy and friendship.”
“So for anyone questions whether [having] allies matter, they do,” Biden said.
“Our alliances make people safer,” the President added. “We stand for liberty, freedom and justice, not only for our own people, but for others as well.”
“That’s why all Americans can take pride in what we achieved today.”
That concludes this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief. You can read past editions of The Intelligence Brief at our website, or if you found this installment online, don’t forget to subscribe and get future email editions from us here. Also, if you have a tip or other information you’d like to send along directly to me, you can email me at micah [@] thedebrief [dot] org, or Tweet at me @MicahHanks.
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