It was the largest international prisoner swap in post-Soviet history. The United States and Russia completed the 24-person exchange on Thursday. The deal included Russia freeing journalist Evan Hershkovitz, who had been in Russian custody since 2023, and fellow American Paul Whelan, who had been held in Russia since 2018. It was multinational deal, with Russia securing the freedom of some if its nationals, convicted of serious crimes in the west. Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer reacted to the news, saying he's delighted innocent Americans are coming home. Both President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris were to join families and meet the freed Americans Thursday night at Andrews Air Force Base. Read more: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/nation-world/russia-releasing-americans-evan-gershkovich-paul-whelan/507-0bdf3429-08c9-44bb-b762-3e3642d562b5 Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/KGWNews8 Watch the latest KGW newscast: https://www.kgw.com/watch Get the KGW app: https://kgw.com/appredirect