Why were Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan being held prisoner in Russia?

(NEW YORK) — Here’s a look at the Americans returning to the United States as part of the prisoner exchange with Russia happening Thursday.

Evan Gershkovich

The 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter was sentenced last month to 16 years in a Russian penal colony on charges of espionage after a guilty verdict was announced in his closed-door trial. His newspaper and the U.S. had denounced the legal proceedings, which saw only two days of hearings, as a sham and have denied the allegations. The American was arrested in March 2023 while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, with the U.S. classifying him as unjustly detained.

Paul Whelan

The 54-year-old former U.S. Marine was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian prison following a closed-door trial in June 2020. He was convicted of spying charges, which he and the U.S. have claimed were fabricated in order to seize him as a political hostage. The U.S. classified him as wrongfully detained following his arrest in 2018 while visiting Moscow for a friend’s wedding. In his first interview following his conviction, Whelan, who worked for the auto parts supplier BorgWarner at the time of his arrest, told ABC News he believed he was targeted partly due to sanctions retaliation.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.