American journalist Evan Gershkovich may be released as part of a prisoner exchange, Russian media reports claim.
The Wall Street Journal reporter could be among between 20 and 30 political prisoners exchanged with the nation, according to the Moscow Times.
The deal is said to involve both the United States and Germany, with a source telling the Russian outlet that the exchange could be ‘imminent.’
It comes amid reported speculation inside Russia that a high-stakes prisoner exchange is in the works after notable prisoners were taken from their prisons and moved to an undisclosed location.
American journalist Evan Gershkovich may be released as part of a prisoner exchange
Gershkovich was detained in March 2023 on espionage charges that the United States says are illegitimate. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in July
According to the Russian outlet, other prisoners that could be part of the deal include people linked to Alexei Navalny, the political opponent of Vladimir Putin who was found dead in a prison camp in February.
If reports of up to 30 prisoners being exchanged is true, it would be the largest prisoner swap between the United States and Russia since the end of the Cold War.
According to the anonymous source cited by the Moscow Times, Russian authorities have made ‘great efforts to keep the information inside Russia as much a secret as possible until the last moment.’
The developments came as recently as Wednesday, when Kremlin military aircraft reportedly flew to isolated regions in Russia where political prisoners are being held.
Other indications that the deal may be imminent are that four Russians imprisoned in the US on charges including cyber crime, smuggling and money laundering disappeared from the federal inmates database in America, according to the Moscow Times.
The reporter was working for the Wall Street Journal covering Russia when he was arrested
Gershkovich was detained in March 2023 on espionage charges that the United States says are illegitimate.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in July.
However, his time in an isolated Russian prison camp could come to an end soon, if the Russian media reports are true.
It comes after a Slovenian broadcaster, N1 Slovenia, reported that a major prisoner exchange may also be in the works, that could come ‘in the coming hours.’
The reports cited an exchange including the US, Germany, Russia and Belarus.
The White House has repeatedly claimed that it believes the charges against Gershkovich are illegitimate, and are ‘committed’ to his release.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said officials would not ‘negotiate in public’ when asked about the reported prisoner swap.
‘We cannot negotiate in public because we want to make sure we can get this job done,’ she said.
