The family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has just released a statement about his release from a Russian prison.

Here it is in full:

"We have waited 491 days for Evan’s release, and it’s hard to describe what today feels like. We can’t wait to give him the biggest hug and see his sweet and brave smile up close.

Most important now is taking care of Evan and being together again. No family should have to go through this, and so we share relief and joy today with Paul and Alsu’s families.

We are grateful to President Biden, Secretary Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Chancellor Scholz and every US or foreign government official who helped get Evan released.

Our family has felt so much love and support from Evan’s fellow journalists, his wonderful friends, and many, many people around the world. It made a difference to Evan and to us.

And we especially thank Evan’s colleagues at Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal. They have taken care of Evan and our entire family since the beginning, and we are forever grateful."

Image source, US Government

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington

Image source, EPA

At the White House press briefing earlier, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed that the prisoner swap deal was originally slated to include Alexei Navalny, Russia's most significant opposition leader of the past decade.

Navalny died in February in an Arctic Circle jail, where he was serving part of a 19-year prison charge on charges of extremism.

In his remarks, Sullivan said the US had been "working with our partners on a deal that would have included Navalny".

"Unfortunately, he died," Sullivan said, adding that he had met with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkowitz the "very same day" as Navalny's death.

"I told them that the president was determined to get this done, even in light of that tragic news, and that we were going to work day and night to get to this day," Sullivan added.

"That work continued over the course of the past few months and culminated in today."

Politically sidelined Biden can still make wavespublished at 20:32 British Summer Time 1 August

20:32 BST 1 August

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Image source, EPA

Joe Biden has repeatedly said that he had “no higher priority” than gaining the release of Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan from a Russian prison,

Today, he accomplished that task.

It is a significant feather in the cap of a president who, having abandoned his re-election bid less than two weeks ago, may now be more concerned about burnishing his political legacy during his remaining six months in office.

Foreign policy is one area in which a president, even sidelined from centre stage of US politics, can make waves.

The total Russian asking price for the release of these two Americans - along with Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and a group of Russian dissidents - has yet to be disclosed, but it is likely to be high. Releasing Russian intelligence agents convicted of assassinations and other nefarious activities could open Biden up to critiques of his negotiating strategy from political opponents.

For now, however, the president can take a victory lap after more than a month of personal and political turmoil.

American officials are celebrating the freedom of three American citizens and a US green-card holder who were all released today.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield says today is "a very good day".

"President Biden has successfully secured their release – along with that of over a dozen Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country," she says.

She calls the swap a "testament to the strength" of US alliances with several countries: Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey.

The results are a reminder that "while diplomacy isn’t always easy, it is always, always worth it", she says.

Senator Ben Cardin, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says the news is a "welcome end to a searing nightmare" for the American prisoners in Russia and their families.

"These Americans should never have endured the hardships imposed on them by the Kremlin, but thanks to the unrelenting efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration and their families ... their ordeal has finally come to an end," he says.

Trump's running mate, Republican Sen JD Vance, calls it "great news" that Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich have been freed, but he says that it only happened because world leaders believe Trump is going to be re-elected.

He says the swap happened because world leaders are "afraid that if Donald Trump comes in, they’re going to have to start behaving again".

"I really think this is a response to the likelihood that Donald Trump will be reelected," Vance says. "Strength produces good results on the world stage, and the likely reelection of Donald Trump, I think, caused these guys to be released."

Asked about Vance's remarks at a White House press briefing, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says: "I don't follow".

Recent polls show Trump is locked in a tight race with Vice-President Kamala Harris, who gained on the former president in several battleground states when her running mate, Joe Biden, dropped out of the race.

Image source, Reuters

The Wall Street Journal's Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker says it is a "joyous day" after the release of its reporter Evan Gershkovich who spent 491 days in prison.

In a letter, Tucker writes the "bogus case" against Gershkovich was a "blow against press freedom" and she is grateful to the Biden administration and other governments, particularly the Germans, for negotiating his release as well the other freed prisoners.

Tucker thanks all those who stood by Gershkovich before saying her "greatest thanks must go to Evan himself" for his strength and composure throughout the ordeal.

She describes Gershkovich as "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".

In a separate joint statement, Tucker and WSJ publisher and Dow Jones CEO Almar Latour say they are "overwhelmed with relief" and praised Gershkovich and his family for their "unrivalled courage, resilience and poise".

"Evan is free and on his way home," the statement says.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that the three Americans part of the prisoner swap deal are on their way back to the US.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, US Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva are among the released prisoners.

Blinken says due to "the extraordinary efforts of countless people", the US was able to strike a deal for the three American prisoners as well as British-Russian national Vladimir Kara-Murza and twelve others.

"We are grateful for the support we had from a number of our allies who made this deal possible," he says, noting Germany, Poland, Norway and Slovenia.

He also thanks the Turkish government for providing a safe location for the swap.

Blinken says he has not forgotten those who still remain in Russian prisons: "My pledge to the families of those still separated from their families is the same that I made to those returning home today. We will not forget you, and we will not rest until you see your loved ones again".

Steve Rosenberg
BBC Russia editor

In June, Evan Gershkovich’s closed-door spy trial – dismissed as a “sham” by the Wall Street Journal and the US government - finally began in Yekaterinburg. The case was quickly adjourned until mid-August.

But last month, the court unexpectedly brought the second hearing forward by more than three weeks. At the end of a lightning-fast three-day trial, Gershkovich was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony.

The very same day, US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison by a court in Kazan. Her trial had lasted just two days.

Someone was clearly in a hurry. It was the strongest sign yet that a deal had been done, that a swap was likely. Russian authorities normally treat a conviction as a prerequisite for any prisoner exchange.

Earlier this week - more signals, with reports that a string of prominent Russian political prisoners had been moved from their penal colonies or detention centres.

Speculation grew. Might these dissidents be part of a larger prisoner exchange than had originally been anticipated?

Donald Trump is slamming the prisoner deal and questioning when the public will hear more details about what all was traded between Russia and the West.

"How many people do we get versus them? Are we also paying them cash?" he asks in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"Are they giving us cash (Please withdraw that question, because I’m sure the answer is NO)? Are we releasing murderers, killers, or thugs?"

The former US president claims "we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps" and says that US negotiators are "always an embarrassment to us!"

Trump falsely claims he was able to free hostages during his time in office without the US giving up anything. During his tenure in the White House, multiple prisoner swaps occurred in which US citizens were freed in exchange for others.

"To do so is bad precedent for the future. That’s the way it should be, or this situation will get worse and worse," he adds.

He alleged that the Biden administration was describing the swap as "complex" so that "nobody can figure out how bad it is!"

Image source, US government

US President Joe Biden's official X account has just shared a photo of Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan aboard a plane with US officials and the American flag.

"After enduring unimaginable suffering and uncertainty, the Americans detained in Russia are safe, free, and have begun their journeys back into the arms of their families," the caption from Biden reads.

Image source, Getty Images

Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva is leaving Russia after more than nine months in prison.

Her husband, Pavel Butorin, who works with her at the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), is hailing Thursday's massive prisoner swap as "a historic act of resolve and compassion by the US government and its allies".

Kurmasheva's employer has also welcomed her release.

"Alsu was targeted because she was an American journalist who was simply trying to take care of a family member inside Russia," RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus writes in a statement.

Referring to three colleagues currently held in Belarus and Crimea, Capus says: "We will not rest until all our unjustly detained journalists are home safe."

Amanda Bennett, CEO of the US Agency for Global Media, the parent organisation of RFE/RL, says she was "tremendously thankful to everyone who supported and advocated for Alsu’s release in the wake of Russia's callous injustice".

"Journalism is not a crime," she added. "I am elated that Alsu is finally able to go home to her loved ones and close this painful chapter."

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre - and Jake Sullivan before her - have faced multiple questions about Vice-President Kamala Harris's involvement in the swap.

Just a few moments ago, for example, Jean-Pierre was asked whether any thought was given to having Harris in the same room as Biden for the earlier announcement in the State Dining Room.

"She played a critical role," said Jean-Pierre, who appeared somewhat irritated at having to explain the part Harris played again, adding that the vice-president had been attending the funeral of Representative Sheila Jackson Lee in Texas earlier.

"She'll be coming back today, if she's not back already," Jean-Pierre said.

Later today, Harris will join Biden as the pair welcome the prisoners back to the US.

Given how politically beneficial this could be for the presumptive Democratic nominee, it is likely that the White House and Harris will face more questions about her role in the coming days.

Image source, Reuters

Paul Whelan's family has released a lengthy statement thanking all the lawmakers, officials and other advocates who worked to free the US Marine veteran.

His brother, David, notes that Paul was held hostage for 2,043 days. "His case was that of an American in peril, held by the Russian Federation as part of their blighted initiative to use humans as pawns to extract concessions," he says.

He thanks the media for helping draw attention to Paul's case - which he says was ignored for several years under the Trump administration.

Whelan's family says that even though his ordeal as a hostage is over, many challenges for him remain.

"While Paul was wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, he lost his home, he lost his job. We are unsure how someone overcomes these losses and rejoins society after being a hostage," his brother says.

His brother asks for privacy for Paul as he rebuilds his life. "It is Paul's story to tell and he will tell it when he is able," he says.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the release of prisoners from Russian prisons, including Russian-British dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was serving a 25-year sentence for treason.

In a social media post, he also mentions US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

"My thoughts are with them and their loved ones as they are reunited," he writes, adding that "we will continue to call on Russia to uphold freedom of political expression".

The US prisoners released from Russia have taken off in Turkey, says US ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake.

"Wheels up in Ankara! Next stop USA", he tweeted, external.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Sullivan says that while the US government has "steadily gained confidence" in the prisoner swap deal in recent days, officials were long "tempered by the reality that this was a fragile and complex deal".

US officials, Sullivan added, were aware that the deal could "fall apart at any moment".

"We held our breath and crossed our fingers," he said, "until a couple hours ago".

The first photo of the released American prisoners has emerged, showing Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan in Turkey, holding an American flag.

Image source, Reuters / US government handout