Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich made a bold request for an interview with Vladimir Putin before he was released from a Russian prison.
The journalist was released as part of a historic prisoner swap between Russia and the West involving 24 prisoners.
Gershkovich, 32, had been held for nearly 500 days until his release on Thursday, along with two other U.S. citizens and other inmates.
He was being held in Russia on charges of espionage, which the US government considered unlawful.
Now it has come to light that before his shocking release, Gershkovich left a note for the Russian prime minister asking if he would sit down for an interview, WSJ defeated.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich made a bold request for an interview with Putin ahead of his release from a Russian prison
The request was made as part of the mandatory forms Gershkovich filled out as part of his request for presidential clemency.
“The last line contained a proposal of its own: Would Putin be willing to come in for an interview after his release?” the WSJ reported.
Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 on suspicion of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison in July.
He was released along with 54-year-old former US Marine Paul Whelan, who was also convicted of espionage, and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
The American citizens were among a group of 16 Western captives whose release was negotiated as part of the trade.
Among them were also holders of a green card Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian-British dissident journalist who was also imprisoned in Russia, and at least seven Russian opposition figures who were imprisoned in their home country.
The journalist was released as part of a historic prisoner swap involving 24 prisoners from the East and West. Pictured: Gershkovich aboard his flight to freedom
The trio posed with an American flag with returning citizen Alsu Kurmasheva (center), who was also released on Thursday.
Kara-Murza, 42, was arrested in April 2022, just hours after he said in an interview with CNN that Russia is run by a “regime of murderers.”
Their release was part of a complex and historic prisoner exchange involving seven different countries.
The exchange finally took place on Thursday morning in the Turkish capital Ankara.
White House officials, diplomats and the CIA were reportedly involved in the negotiation process, carefully assessing which other Western and Middle Eastern countries were willing to release Russian prisoners as part of the deal.
According to the WSJLast week, CIA Director William Burns traveled to Turkey to finalize logistics for the exchange with his Kremlin counterpart.
President Biden also played a role in the historic exchange, speaking directly to Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob to convince him to pardon two Russian spies, who would be returned to Russia in the swap.
The request was made as part of the mandatory forms Gershkovich filled out as part of his request for presidential clemency from Vladimir Putin, pictured with Indonesian Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday
The exchange took place on Thursday in the Turkish capital Ankara, a country that has previously acted as a mediator for prisoner swaps between Russia and the West.
President Biden shared this photo shortly after the release with the caption: ‘After enduring unimaginable suffering and uncertainty, Americans trapped in Russia are safe, free, and have begun their journey home to the arms of their families’
The president hailed the deal as a “piece of diplomacy” and confirmed that 16 prisoners had been released from Russia, including seven opposition figures held in their home countries.
“Some of these women and men have been wrongfully held for years. They have all endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their suffering ends,” Biden said.
“This is a powerful example of why it is vital to have friends in this world you can trust and count on. Our alliances make Americans safer.
“Let me be clear: I will not stop working until every American wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world is reunited with their families.
“Today we celebrate the return of Paul, Evan, Alsu and Vladimir and rejoice together with their families.”
The deal was largely contingent on the release of convicted hitman Vadim Krasikov from a German prison, where he was serving a life sentence for the murder of a Georgian-born Chechen separatist.
It is believed that Putin personally requested Krasikov’s release in exchange for Gershkovich and the other hostages as a reward for the “state-contracted murder.”