Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan are back on US soil after being freed in Russian prisoner swap watched by Biden and Kamala

Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan are back on American soil after being released in a historic prisoner exchange.

The plane carrying the Americans held captive in Russia landed Thursday evening after taking off from Ankara, Turkey, around 8 p.m. local time.

The flight was in the air for about 10 hours, following a four-hour flight from Moscow to Ankara. The plane landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland just before midnight, after Gershkovich, a 32-year-old WSJ reporter, was seen on board in Turkey.

He was accused of espionage and was arrested in Russia on March 29 last year while working as a journalist. Whelan, a 54-year-old former Marine, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 after being arrested on suspicion of espionage two years earlier.

Both were released on Thursday as part of the largest prisoner swap between East and West since the Cold War. Also released was Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was sentenced to more than six years in a Russian prison in a fast-track, secret trial late last month.

The plane landed just before midnight at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old reporter who was jailed last year on suspicion of espionage, disembarking here. Kamal Harris, pictured left, was the first to greet him

She was seen running into the arms of her family after hugging both Harris and Biden as she exited the train.

Minutes before the trio landed, President Joe Biden and his motorcade made their way to the landing site after Vice President Kamala Harris, who had traveled separately, had arrived shortly before.

Several Wall Street Journal employees were also seen anxiously awaiting their colleague’s arrival on the platform after nearly a year and a half.

On the runway, the prisoners were seen shaking hands with the president and vice president and speaking briefly as bystanders cheered.

Earlier in the day, Biden, who is said to have led negotiations for the release, delivered a speech from the White House, flanked by family members of the hostages.

The same group received news of their loved ones’ landing directly from Biden, a US official said, after Biden spoke to the detainees by phone earlier in their trip.

“Their brutal ordeal is over and they are free,” Biden, 81, said Thursday afternoon, half a day before the trio’s landing.

He added that the former prisoners had just left Russia and were on their way home, and described speaking to the freed prisoners from the Oval Office. He said their families could do the same.

He called the multi-country deal, involving seven separate countries, “a feat of diplomacy” and a feat of “friendship.”

Meanwhile, Russian state television also hailed the talks and subsequent agreement as a victory.

Harris is seen here greeting the wrong captured Wall Street Journal reporter

Joe Biden greets Paul Whelan, a 54-year-old former Marine who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 after being detained in Moscow two years earlier on suspicion of espionage.

Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was also released. She was sentenced to more than six years in a Russian prison in a swift and secret trial at the end of last month.

She was also seen hugging the president after briefly speaking with him and Harris

The woman was then seen running into the arms of her family after escaping a prison sentence, also for alleged espionage

This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.