A landmark prisoner exchange involving Russia, the United States, and several other countries has been successfully completed, marking one of the largest such swaps since the Cold War. The exchange, coordinated by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation, involved 26 individuals held in seven countries, including the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus.Prominent among those released are Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, both of whom had been held in Russia on espionage charges. Gershkovich, arrested in March 2023 and sentenced to 16 years in prison, was described by U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy as a victim of a ‘disgraceful, sham conviction’. Whelan had been detained since December 2018.The swap also included the release of several high-profile Russian prisoners. Vladimir Kara-Murza, a British-Russian opposition figure and Washington Post collaborator, and Ilya Yashin, another prominent opposition politician, were among those freed. In exchange, Russia received Vadim Krasikov, an assassin serving a life sentence in Germany for a 2019 murder in Berlin.U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized the historical significance of the exchange, stating, ‘Not since the Cold War has there been a similar number of individuals exchanged in this way’. The deal resulted in 10 prisoners being relocated to Russia, 13 to Germany, and 3 to the United States.While the Kremlin maintained its policy of not commenting on prisoner exchanges before their completion, the successful swap is seen as a potential breakthrough in U.S.-Russia relations. However, it also raises questions about the use of detained individuals as diplomatic leverage, with critics noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of using political prisoners to free Russians from Western prisons.
Key points
- A major prisoner swap involving 26 individuals from seven countries has been completed, with Russia releasing American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
- The exchange, coordinated by Turkey, is one of the largest since the Cold War, involving the US, Russia, Germany, and other European countries.
- Notable Russian releases include opposition figures Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin, while Russia received assassin Vadim Krasikov from Germany.
- The swap is seen as a potential breakthrough in US-Russia relations, but also raises concerns about the use of detainees as diplomatic leverage.
Contradictions👾While most sources agree on the scale and significance of the prisoner swap, there are slight discrepancies in the reported numbers.
Some sources mention 24 individuals, while others report 26.
This minor contradiction does not significantly impact the overall story.
