US prisoners headed home from Russia in a swap, say reports

Washington, Aug 1 American journalists Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan are coming home to the United States in a prisoner swap with Russia, according to US media reports.

The exchange is said to be taking place at an airfield in Ankara, these reports said citing Turkish officials.

There was no official statement or confirmation from the US yet.

Gershkovich, the 32-year-old correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, was arrested by Russian authorities in March 2023 for espionage. He was convicted last month and sentenced to 16 years in a high-security prison. Whelan, a 54-year-old ex-Marine, was arrested in Russia in 2018 for espionage and was serving a 16-year jail term.

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