A massive prisoner swap involving up to 30 people held by Russia, including jailed Jewish American journalist Evan Gershkovich and Jewish dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, is reportedly in progress. They are expected to arrive in New York tomorrow.

If completed, this would be the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States since the Cold War. Reports of the swap have surfaced in independent Russian media and international press.

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in March 2023 on espionage charges and recently sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison, charges he, his employer, WSJ, and the U.S. government deny.

Jewish organizations and activists have championed Gershkovich’s cause, using Jewish holiday rituals to raise awareness, such as leaving an empty seat for him at Passover seders and sending him greeting cards for Rosh Hashanah.