Three American hostages detained in Russia return home

Transcript

00:00News overseas, despite his lame-duck status as the leader of the free world,

00:04U.S. President Joe Biden, through months of high-stakes diplomacy,

00:08managed to pull off a multilateral deal involving countries

00:11to finally bring home Americans held hostage by the Kremlin for the longest time.

00:16Last night, both he and his vice president welcomed a group of hostages

00:20led by ex-Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovic,

00:25who between them spent nearly eight years of unforgiving incarceration in Russian jails,

00:31as VOA's Jessica Jarrett reports.

00:35A moment long awaited for.

00:37Three Americans released Thursday from Russian detention,

00:41arriving at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington.

00:45On the tarmac to greet them,

00:47U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their families.

00:56An historic deal involving several allies

00:59secured the release of 16 political prisoners held in Russia.

01:03Their price? Eight individuals requested by the Kremlin.

01:07Photos documented the journey home.

01:10Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovic

01:13and Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty editor Alsu Kermasheva,

01:16with former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan,

01:19pictured on a plane and speaking with Biden on the phone.

01:22Gershkovic's newsroom erupted in cheers earlier in the day

01:25at news of their colleague's safe return.

01:31The Moscow correspondent had spent close to 500 days in a Russian prison.

01:36You don't realise quite how emotional it all is

01:40until you have this release, you know,

01:43both his release but also just this physical release almost,

01:48to see him free.

01:50And people realise, you know, wow, you've actually been feeling

01:53quite worked up and pent up and upset over what's been going on.

01:57Similar scenes greeted Kermasheva's newsroom at RFEL in Prague.

02:01Her husband, who works at the network,

02:04spoke of the family's months-long ordeal.

02:07Right now we're overwhelmed with emotions.

02:10We're still trying to process what actually happened to us today.

02:14Being in the White House,

02:17hearing Al Su's voice from the Oval Office next to President Biden,

02:23that was something very special.

02:29But it's been an incredibly difficult year for us.

02:32From their reunion under the media gaze,

02:35the families are expected to travel on to a facility in Texas

02:38to receive support and privacy while they adjust to their return.

02:42For Liam Scott, at Joint Base Andrews, Jessica Dureet, VOA News.