The Kremlin announced on Tuesday that there have been "certain contacts" between Russia and the United States concerning a potential prisoner exchange involving jailed Wall Street Journal
reporter Evan Gershkovich. This statement comes one day after the US ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, visited Gershkovich for the first time since April.
Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that discussions had taken place regarding a possible swap between Gershkovich and Vladimir Dunaev, a Russian national currently held in pretrial detention in Ohio on federal cybercrime charges. The timing of Tracy's visit to Gershkovich and the Russian Embassy's access to meet with Dunaev raised speculation about ongoing negotiations between the two countries.
While acknowledging the contacts, Peskov emphasized the need for confidentiality in such discussions between American and Russian officials. He stated that the conversations should be carried out and continued in complete silence.
Evan Gershkovich, 31, has been detained since late March on espionage charges during a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg, Russia. He was later transferred to Moscow's high-security Lefortovo Prison. Both Gershkovich and the US government refute the espionage allegations. In April, the US State Department declared his detention as "wrongful" and condemned Russia's imprisonment of a journalist.
In June, a Moscow court rejected an appeal from Gershkovich's lawyers to end his pretrial detention, extending it until August 30. Russian authorities have previously stated that a prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich would only be considered after a court reaches a verdict in his case.
The most recent notable prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States occurred in December, involving WNBA star Brittney Griner and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner had been detained for 10 months on drug charges, while Bout was swapped for her release.
Another US citizen, Paul Whelan, a former Marine, is also being held in Moscow's Lefortovo Prison on espionage charges, with the US State Department determining his detention as wrongful as well. Photo by Quistnix, Wikimedia commons.