OPERATION FREE EVAN
Inside secret negotiations to free WSJ’s Evan Gershkovich with spies crisscrossing continents for Cold War-style talks
Why the German government was key in sealing the deal
SPIES and diplomats crisscrossed continents for Cold War-style negotiations in their desperate bid to free the innocent Evan Gershkovich.
The mammoth deal to bring home the Wall Street Journal reporter unjustly detained in Russia for 491 days involved a whopping 24 prisoners from at least six countries.
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White House officials and agents from the CIA travelled to Europe and the Middle East to engage with governments who would consider releasing Russian spies.
Gaining back a notorious agent was realistically the only way Vladimir Putin could be swayed to release the wrongfully detained Gershkovich, governments have said.
US President Joe Biden convinced the Prime Minister of Slovenia to release two Russian spies, while CIA director William Burns travelled for talks in Turkey, the .
Ultimately, the man to seal the deal was a horror hitman locked away in Germany.
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Vadim Krasikov gunned down a former Russian rebel in broad daylight in Berlin in 2019, likely on commands of Putin himself, a court found.
Witnesses saw Krasikov hurriedly change clothes, shave off his beard and throw away a wig in a panic to evade arrest.
A German court described the assassination as an "especially serious" crime and sentenced the hitman to life behind bars.
But for the deal to go through, he was the man Putin wanted - making the German government a crucial cog in negotiations.
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Germany said releasing Krasikov was ultimately in its interests.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement: “The freedom, physical well-being and in some cases ultimately the life of innocent people imprisoned in Russia and unjustly held political prisoners stood against the state’s interest."
Evan Gershkovich Sentenced: The Fight for Media Freedom
The spokesperson added "solidarity with the US" was a key motivator.
Behind the scenes, the US government was also bidding to get high-profile anti-Kremlin campaigner Alexei Navalny released in the deal.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed Navalny was initially being discussed as diplomats and spies flew around the globe, but he died in an arctic prison circle in February.
Western governments accused the Kremlin of orchestrating his death.
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Timeline of Evan Gershkovich's detainment
FALSELY jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained on baseless accusations of espionage in March 2023.
Here is a timeline of key events:
Russia's security service, the FSB, charged him with espionage - a charge that he, the WSJ and the US government deny.
They argued - without evidence - that he collected “information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”
Day 12: April 10, 2023 - The US designated Gershkovich wrongfully detained and launched effort on Russia to free him.
Day 20: April 18, 2023 - A Moscow court upheld his pre-trial detention, denied him bail and ordered him to be held in the capital's infamous Lefortovo prison.
Day 55: May 23, 2023 - Gershkovich's detention was extended until at least August 30.
His parents, Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich, travelled to the hearing and said "any parents who loves their kid would travel to the end of the world to be with them for give minutes."
Day 76: June 13, 2023 - The White House called on Russia to immediately free Gershkovich and also free former US marine Paul Whelan, who was convicted of espionage in 2020.
Day 85: June 22, 2023 - A Moscow court upheld the extension of Gershkovich's detention until at least August 30.
Day 100: July 7, 2023 - The world's press stood for solidarity with the reporter as his shameful detention reached 100 days.
Day 174: September, 19, 2023 - Gershkovich had another appeal for freedom blocked.
Day 195: October 10, 2023 - The US reporter had yet another appeal denied which would see his detention extended until at least November 30.
Day 244: November 28, 2023 - A court ruled Gershkovich would remain in pre-trial detention until at least January 30.
Day 303: January 26, 2024 - The innocent journalist's time behind bars was extended until the end of March.
Day 316: February 8, 2024 - Vladimir Putin tells US TV host Tucker Carlson a deal could be reached between Russia and the US over Gershkovich.
Day 363: March 26, 2024: Gershkovich's detention will drag on until June 30 as he nears one year behind bars.
Day 442: June 13, 2024: Russian authorities announce he will stand trial over bogus accusations that the reporter was spying for the CIA
Day 455: June 26, 2024: Closed-door sham trial begins in Yekaterinburg at the Sverdlovsk courthouse with Evan appearing inside a glass cage
Day 478: July 19, 2024: Evan is sentenced to 16 years in Russian prison
Day 491: August 1, 2024: Evan is released as part of a historic prisoner exchange deal between Russia and the West
But in what's being described as a diplomatic triumph, the swap involved 23 other prisoners in Russian jails - including former US marine Paul Whelan and British-Russian journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza.
Whelan was arrested in 2018 and accused of espionage.
Kara-Murza, a British citizen, was arrested in 2022.
He had previously been poisoned in both 2015 and 2017.
Thursday's exchange was one of the largest and most complicated swaps between the West and Russia in history.
A Russian government plane was seen at Ankara Airport in Turkey where the journalist was one of dozens of political prisoners to be released.
They were seen smiling with a US flag on Thursday night from Ankara.
Russia's FSB published a video of the the US citizens being readied for the swap, likely from earlier Thursday morning.
The US, Russia and Germany were all involved in the large scale operation following Evan's arrest in March last year.
Newsrooms across the world, including at News Corp, have staged events and demonstrations demanding the innocent journalist be freed.
The Wall Street Journal said after Evan's release on Thursday afternoon: "Gershkovich and other Americans left Russian aircraft moments ago at an airport in Turkey’s capital, Ankara.
"Russia had kept the 32-year-old behind bars for more than a year on a false allegation of espionage.
"It sentenced him in a hurried and secret three-day trial to 16 years in a high-security penal colony."
The outlet said Evan's release was part of "the largest and most complex East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War".
The Wall Street Journal's chief editor Emma Tucker described it as a "joyous day" and said: "WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich is free.
"This is a day of great joy and relief for Evan, his family, WSJ colleagues, and all those who campaigned so hard for his release.
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"It is also a great day for press freedom."
Evan's relieved family released a statement on Thursday revealing their joy at seeing their "'sweet and brave" son again.
The Wall Street Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker shares a letter after Evan's release
Today is a joyous day for the safe return of our colleague Evan Gershkovich, who left a Russian aircraft moments ago in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, as part of a prisoner swap with Russia.
It is a joyous day for Evan’s family, friends and colleagues, who have worried about him and supported him these past 16 months.
It is 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.
And it is a joyous day for the relatives and friends of the other wrongfully detained Americans and German citizens who returned home and for the Russian political prisoners who were released to the West.
That it was done in a trade for Russian operatives guilty of serious crimes was predictable as the only solution given President Putin’s cynicism. We are grateful to President Biden and his 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.
We are also grateful to the other governments that helped bring an end to Evan’s nightmare, in particular the German government that played such a critical role.
We know the U.S. government is keenly aware, as are we, that the only way to prevent a quickening cycle of arresting innocent people as pawns in cynical geopolitical games is to remove the incentive for Russia and other nations that pursue the same detestable practice. The ordeal of Evan and the other returnees—along with those Americans still being wrongfully detained around the world—demonstrates the urgent need for a change in the dynamic to prevent the future seizure of innocent hostages.
But for now, we are celebrating the return of Evan. While we waited for this momentous day, we were determined to be as loud as we could be on Evan’s behalf. We are so grateful for all the voices that were raised when his was silent. We can finally say, in unison, “Welcome home, Evan.”
It has been our honor to have got to know Evan’s family—Ella, Mikhail, Danielle and Anthony—and we have marveled at their good grace, fortitude and wisdom under such pressure. We can imagine and share in their joy and relief at the return of their son and brother.
I am proud of how forcefully the WSJ newsroom and Dow Jones responded to the call of a colleague in extreme distress. Now we and Evan’s many friends in the media and elsewhere can celebrate his return to freedom.
All those who spoke up for Evan and worked for his release—the U.S. and allied governments, Congress, the media industry, readers of the Journal, supporters of the free press, opponents of arbitrary detention, those moved by the plight of a young American journalist behind bars—can know that their support made a huge difference and is greatly, greatly appreciated.
My greatest thanks, though, must go to Evan himself.
The bogus case against him represented many significant things. A blow against press freedom. A warning to foreign journalists covering the Kremlin. A new tension in America’s relationship with Russia.
But at the center of it all was Evan, our 32-year-old Moscow correspondent from New Jersey, who likes to cook and supports Arsenal Football Club, and who loved living in and reporting on Russia.
He was our inspiration, the galvanizing force. We watched him deal with his absurd predicament with strength, composure, humor and a “heart-sign” from behind the walls of his courtroom glass cage. Along the way, we learned about his life and his history and understood why he is beloved by so many.
Now that Evan is home, we plan to give him as much time and space as he needs to restore himself, reconnect, and ponder the next steps in his life and career. We will be right there with him and his family. And we look forward to seeing him in the newsroom when he is ready.
I want to sign off by once again thanking all those who helped bring him home and rejoice that Evan and his fellow former detainees are reunited with their families.
We stand with them all,
Emma Tucker
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