“I didn’t believe it was real until I hugged my children”: Alsu Kurmasheva was detained in a Russian prison for more than nine months before she was one of three Americans released in a recent prisoner swap. Kurmasheva and her husband tell CBS Mornings about the fight to bring

Thank you for letting me share my story this week NPR, National Press Club, Voice of America PBS News, Geoff Bennett, Eurasia Center, CBS Mornings, Runner's World.

Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was one of the three Americans released in a prisoner swap with Russia this month. to.pbs.org/3AzSlDt

This is a direct quote from Putin’s interview with a Mongolian newspaper: "In Russia, the media are free. This is firmly guaranteed by the Constitution. We are convinced of the necessity of pluralism and openness in the information sphere. The authorities engage constructively