Since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested by Russian authorities in 2023, AP reporters in Washington and Europe had been constantly checking with sources to see if there were any developments that could lead to the release of him and other Americans.

For months the answer was the same: nothing new, but a few weeks ago national security reporter Eric Tucker heard from sources that the negotiations were bearing fruit. That matched what correspondent Dasha Litvinova was seeing in Russia. She astutely noted that a number of political prisoners had suddenly disappeared from prison, a sign that they might be involved in a prisoner exchange. She also broke news of a secret trial and conviction of Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was also included in the deal.

Tucker and State Department correspondent Matt Lee spent days talking to sources to get all the details of the deal, the likely timing and location, and everyone involved. With that information in hand, Litvinova created a biographical study of each of the 24 people involved in the deal, Tucker filmed video debriefings that were submitted as soon as the deal was finalized, and video and photography crews were ready and waiting at Joint Base Andrews when the prisoners arrived. Tucker and TSH editor Brian Friedman, a Russia expert assigned to the team in Tallinn, prepared a nuanced story that put the swap in proper historical context.

It was a highly sensitive story, and AP was careful to ensure that its coverage did not endanger lives or jeopardize the deal’s completion. Thanks to its staff’s extensive experience with high-profile prisoner exchanges, the circle of reporters and editors who knew about the deal remained small. In the days leading up to the deal, they held private meetings to discuss the coverage and made sure the news did not spread or accidentally leak.

Once reporters confirmed the prisoners were in the air and safe, the full story was published immediately. The lead story was just one of about a dozen stories AP journalists broke over the next four days, including a widely circulated story by Tucker, Lee and White House reporter Zeke Miller that reconstructed how the blockbuster deal came about.

For their expert and sensitive handling of the news about the massive deal in which journalists and dissidents wrongfully held in Russian prisons were released in exchange for the extradition of a Russian assassin and others to Moscow, the AP team of Tucker, Litvinova, Lee, Miller and Friedman will receive this week’s “Best of the AP – First Winner” award.

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