Tonight, three Americans are now safe on US soil following their release from Russian prisons. Years of delicate diplomacy and negotiations coming to fruition, resulting in the largest multinational prisoner swap since the Cold War. An emotional homecoming, years in the making. Wrongfully detained Americans, including former Marine Paul Wieland and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovic, freed from Russian custody. Part of a 24-person prisoner swap spanning the globe, the largest since the Cold War.

Alliances make a difference. They stepped up, they took a chance for us. It mattered a lot.

Late tonight, President Biden and Vice President Harris greeting them on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base, along with their relieved families. Also landing on US soil, Russian-American journalist, Aylsu Kumashiva.

I don't think we've ever seen anything like this. This is a huge exchange.

They and 13 others unjustly detained in Russia, released today. Four of them returned to US custody. Us green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and a vocal critic of the Kremlin, now in Germany. In exchange, the US and its allies released eight Russians, including hitman Vadim Krashekov, who has been serving a life sentence in Germany for murder.

It's always been an extremely difficult moral question about when to make these deals. I think there's And so the lesson that, unfortunately, it's become very dangerous for Americans to be in Russia right now because absolutely, you will become a target.

The last major swaps were in 2022. Former Marine Trevor Reid, and months later, WNBA star, Brittany Griner, who's currently playing in the Olympics. Griner tonight saying she is head over heels for the families. She sat down with Robin Roberts last year to talk about her arrest and imprisonment, which all began when Russian customs found cannabis cartridges in her carry-on bag.

Do you know there are those who say, Come on, how did you not know that you had cartridges in your luggage? What do you say to the skeptics?

I would say, Have you ever forgot your keys in your car, left your car running? It's just so easy to have a mental lapse.

The prison where Griner was sent, known to be one of the worst in Russia.

What were the conditions like in that particular jail?

Really cold. You go there to work. There's no rest.

Today, the White House sharing photos of the newly freed Americans en route with the Stars and Stripes. From Russia, they were led across the tarmac by soldiers and onto a waiting plane. Gershkovic appearing to crack a smile in his seat. Russian Defense Ministry video showing they were released in Turkey.

Until it happens, you never know if this is actually going to work the way that might have been planned. There's a lot of tension in the air to make sure nobody's is going to pull a trick at the last minute.

Involved in the secret negotiations, the United States, Russia, Germany, Belarus, Poland, Norway, and Slovenia.

Multiple countries helped get this done. They joined a difficult, complex negotiation at my request, and I personally thank them all again.

President Biden directly involved in the negotiations.

This is an incredible relief for all the family members gathered here. It's a relief to the friends and colleagues all across the country who have been praying for this day for a long time.

David Whelen, the twin brother of Paul Whelen, who had been held in Russia for more than five years, speaking out.

We had been through two prisoner releases before where he had not come home. I didn't really allow myself to believe that it was going to happen until I saw that announcement by the White House.

David describing how excruciating the past few years have been.

I think the difficulty in these sorts of situations is that the family has so little control over what's happening. Paul was a pawn of the Russian government and It became part of a geopolitical fight that really has nothing to do with Paul or our family or anything that he did.

Tonight, the Wall Street Journal's newsroom erupting in cheers at the news of Gershkovic's release. His family saying in a statement, We've waited 490 91 days for Evan's release, and it's hard to describe what today feels like. We can't wait to give him the biggest hug and see his sweet and brave smile up close. Gershkovic had been living in Russia since 2017, accredited by the Russian Foreign Ministry to work as a journalist.

Nothing that might even be taken as a sign of dissent is allowed in Russia right now.

The 32-year-old's wrongful detention became a rallying cry. People around the world using the hashtag Free Evan.

Journalism is not a crime.

We want our sun bag.

Yes.

My colleague, George Stefanopoulos, spoke with Gershkovic's parents, Mikhail Gershkovic and Ella Milman, a hundred days after his arrest.

Were you worried for him?

Did you ever try to talk him out of it?

Well, I was worried, but he was always... Especially the succession of articles about Putin, about economy came out. I got really, really worried. He was always telling me, Mom, I'm accredited. I'm allowed to be here. But there was always in the back of my mind that he could run into trouble.

Just two weeks ago, Gershkovic was convicted and sentenced to 16 years for espionage following a three-day trial. Charges the US and Gershkovic vehemently deny. The same day, journalist and US-Russian dual citizen, Aylsu Karmarsheva, was quietly convicted for spreading false information about the Russian military in a secret two-day trial. Charges she also denies.

In an espionage trial, that's just ludicrous. You don't have espionage trials that take three days. When that happened, I think that was our first indication that hopefully there was a prisoner exchange in the Offing.

Kulmarshava, a mom of two, had been held for nearly a year. She worked for Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty. She was arrested in Russia while visiting her sick mother. Speaking with ABC News after her release, her family describing the phone call they thought might never come.

We were very happy to get the call, and we're so thankful for everything that's happening today.

We can't wait to hug her and to begin the process of helping her integrate into the free world after many months of this unjust imprisonment.

For two years, Kara Morza was imprisoned for his political outspokenness. The US green card holder is one of the most prominent Kremlin critics still left alive.

The most remarkable thing about Vladimir Karamorza is that he was poisoned twice.

Sometimes there are near misses, and one happens to be sitting before you.

Then he chose to go back to Russia to continue campaigning against Vladimir Putin and campaigning very stridently against the war in Ukraine.

Of the group returning to the US today, former Marine Paul Whelen had been detained in Russia the longest. Arrested in December 2018 after attending a friend's wedding in Moscow.

Even though I've got a medical condition that prohibits this.

Whelen talked with ABC News shortly after he was convicted of espionage in 2020. He denies all allegations made against him, saying it was a show trial, something he says even the judge in his case knew.

He knows it. He knows the whole case is crap. He told me and my attorneys that it was a provocation. But telephone justice, he cannot say anything against what the FSB says.

In recent years, the US designated Russia with the highest travel advisory territory, warning there is a continued risk of wrongful detention of US nationals by Russian authorities.

Russia has demonstrated significant escalations in their hostility towards US citizens, and will come up with some false crime and spam trials and will imprison anybody who walks onto their territory for the purpose of building up leverage so that they can get more of their people back.

President Putin personally greeting the Russians returning home today. A along with the hitman, alleged hackers, and a couple living with two young children in Slovenia that the US called deep cover spies. Today, the Biden administration defending the decision to negotiate with Russia. Can you just confirm that no money was exchanged, no sanctions were loosened to facilitate this deal?

Yes, I can confirm that.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also deeply involved, overcome by the emotion of the moment and the relief.

I spent a lot of time with the families of Evan and Paul and also. Most of the time, as you can imagine, those are tough conversations, but not today. Today, excuse me. Today was a very good day.

While it was a good day for the freed prisoners' families, the work remains. At least eight Americans are still being held in Russia.

We still have people wrongfully detained in Russia. The good men and women of the State Department and the National Security Community, they're going to be hard at work tomorrow to continue to bring people home.