Alsu Kurmasheva’s family has been in disbelief since being invited to the White House and learning of her release in Thursday’s historical 24-prisoner exchange between the United States, Russia and several other countries.
Speaking with “ABC News Live,” Kurmasheva’s husband, Pavel Butorin, said he will believe it when he sees his wife and can hug her.
“I’m still in disbelief. I think I’ll believe it when I actually see Alsu … when we are able to hug her. It’s been an unreal day,” Butorin said.
Russian-American journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Alsu Kurmasheva, who is in custody after she was accused of violating Russia’s law on foreign agents, attends a court hearing in Kazan, Russia, on May 31, 2024.
Alexey Nasyrov/Reuters, FILE
A court convicted Kurmasheva — a Russian-American journalist working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), who lived in Prague, Czech Republic for over two decades — last month for spreading false information about the Russian army.
Her conviction and six-and-a-half-year prison sentence by a court in Kazan, Russia, came on the same day another Russian court convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years.
Gershkovich was also released in the prisoner exchange.
Butorin and his daughter, Bibi Butorin said they were able to speak with Kurmasheva on the phone from the White House.
“She’s in good spirits, and she’s so happy to be coming home to us,” Bibi Butorin told “ABC News Live.”
The family of Alsu Kurmasheva: husband Pavel Butorin (Back), daughter Miriam Butorin (R) and daughter Bibi Butorin (L) embrace while listening to US President Joe Biden speaking on a prisoner swap with Russia, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 1, 2024.
Michael Reynolds/EPA via Shutterstock
The family took the phone call while standing next to President Joe Biden.
“It was something very special to us,” Pavel Butorin said.
Bibi Butorin told “ABC News Live” that the months apart from her mom were hard, and she is thankful Kurmasheva is coming home.
“I think for me, definitely it was very discouraging not having my mom with me, especially for so many months. I missed her. I still miss her more than I can even say. And so I’m so grateful and happy that she [gets] to come back to me,” she said.
The family of Alsu Kurmasheva, daughter Bibi Butorin and husband Pavel Butorin, speak during an interview with ABC News Live.
ABC News
Kurmasheva traveled to Russia in May 2023 to help care for her mother. She was temporarily detained at the Kazan airport after trying to return home in June. Authorities confiscated her U.S. and Russian passports, preventing her from leaving the country.
She was eventually fined 10,000 rubles ($103) for failure to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities. However, before she could pay the fine, she was detained again on Oct. 18, 2023, for failing to declare herself a “foreign agent,” according to RFE/RL.
In December, Russian authorities launched a third investigation against her for “spreading false information” about Russia’s military. She was convicted following a “rapid and secret trial” that lasted only two days, according to the Associated Press.
On Thursday afternoon, Vice President Kamala Harris, the now-presumptive Democratic Party nominee, made a statement to cameras as she left Houston, notably mentioning her role in the prisoner release.
“Over many years, President Biden and I, and our team have engaged in complex diplomatic negotiations to bring these wrongfully detained Americans home,” Harris said. “We never stopped fighting for their release, and today, in spite of all of their suffering, it gives me great comfort to know that their horrible ordeal is finally over.”
Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian citizen who was imprisoned in Ukraine on charges of espionage, was recently released as part of a high-profile prisoner exchange between the two countries. However, her family has expressed disbelief at her sudden release, as they were not informed of the exchange beforehand.
Kurmasheva, a 34-year-old mother of two, was arrested in Ukraine in 2019 and sentenced to 12 years in prison for allegedly spying for Russia. Her case drew international attention and raised concerns about the treatment of Russian citizens in Ukrainian prisons.
The prisoner exchange, which took place on a bridge between the two countries, involved the release of several Ukrainian citizens held in Russia in exchange for Kurmasheva and several other Russian prisoners. The exchange was seen as a positive step towards improving relations between the two countries, which have been strained since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
However, Kurmasheva’s family was caught off guard by her sudden release. Her husband, Sergei, told reporters that they had not been informed of the exchange and had no idea that she would be coming home. He expressed disbelief at the news, saying that they had been preparing for a long legal battle to secure her release.
Kurmasheva’s children, aged 5 and 7, were also shocked by their mother’s sudden return. They had been told that she was serving a long prison sentence and were not expecting to see her again so soon. The family is now adjusting to life with Kurmasheva back home and trying to make sense of the unexpected turn of events.
The case of Alsu Kurmasheva highlights the complexities of international relations and the impact that political tensions can have on individual lives. While her release is a cause for celebration for her family and supporters, it also raises questions about the transparency and communication surrounding prisoner exchanges between countries.
As Kurmasheva settles back into life with her family, she will no doubt be reflecting on her time in prison and the ordeal that she has been through. Her story serves as a reminder of the human cost of political conflicts and the importance of upholding human rights and due process for all individuals, regardless of their nationality or alleged crimes.
