Russians free NJ journalist after imprisoning him on false charges

A deal has been made to release Wall Street Journal reporter and Princeton native Evan Gershkovich from a Russian prison, according to several reports.

Gershkovich, 32, was arrested March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the U.S. He was convicted on July 18 of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison on charges that his employer and the U.S. government have rejected as fabricated.

A senior Biden administration official told CBS News that Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva will be returned to the United States as part of the swap.

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. 12th District, confirmed the release on her X account.

"Evan Gershkovich is on his way home! After being held 16 months on false charges of espionage, journalist Evan Gershkovich will be freed," Watson Coleman wrote. "Grateful to everyone at the State Dept for their work to make this day happen."

AP reported that several Russian prisoners were moved during the week prompting speculation that they were part of a prisoner swap.

According to Gershkovich's LinkedIn account, he attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he was a member of the men's soccer team. He attended Princeton High School and was a member of the Class of 2010, according to his team bio.

Gershkovich played club soccer for Princeton Union, where he helped to lead the team to the New Jersey State Championship and Region I Semifinals in 2007.

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