TOPSHOT – US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris watch as US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva embraces her husband Pavel Butorin and their daughters Miriam Butorin and Bibi Butorinasas at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 1, 2024.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images
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ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images
TOPSHOT – US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris watch as US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva embraces her husband Pavel Butorin and their daughters Miriam Butorin and Bibi Butorinasas at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 1, 2024.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images
It’s been more than three weeks since the U.S. and Russia completed the largest prisoner swap since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Speaking from the White House shortly after news broke that three American prisoners were headed home, President Biden described the release as an “incredible relief.”
Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was one of those prisoners, and she’s sharing what life was like in a Russian prison and how she’s adjusting to life at home.
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This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink, with audio engineering by Andie Huether. It was edited by Sarah Handel and Courtney Dorning.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.