Kaptur Statement on Release of Americans Imprisoned by Vladimir Putin’s Russian State

Toledo, OH — Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Co-Chair and Co-Founder of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus released the following statement following the release of Americans Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva who were falsely imprisoned and held captive in Russia:

“Today, we celebrate the return of Americans Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva to Freedom’s embrace from their wrongful detentions in Russia.

“We must be clear eyed. Their detentions had nothing to do with justice or truth. The tyrant Vladimir Putin uses Russia’s predatory penal system to cruelly target Americans for his own political gain. He does so because he fears the Liberties that they represent and to use them to trade for his friends, Russian war criminals and murderers.

“Putin never broke the spirit of our beloved Americans. In total, Evan (491), Paul (2,043), and Alsu (288) were detained for 2,822 days in brutal frigid Russia prisons and penal colonies built on the bones of the Soviet Union’s deadly Gulags. Whether it was from a jail cell or in their renewed freedom, the courage of Evan, Paul, and Alsu will forever remain a reminder that Tyranny cannot overcome true conviction and the call for Liberty.

“Thank you to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken, National Security Advisor Sullivan, and all who put in countless hours, days, weeks, and months of tireless work to bring our fellow Americans home. I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration on its efforts to bring home all Americans who remain wrongfully detained, and imprisoned around the world.”

“We must always remember that the price of freedom is never truly free.”

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