Largest prisoner exchange since Cold War sees 24 freed between Russia and the West

New Delhi, Aug 02: The largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War took place earlier on Thursday, with a total of 24 individuals released, the US has confirmed. According to the White House, 16 prisoners, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, have been freed and are en route to Europe and the US, BBC and other Western media reported.

In return, eight Russian prisoners have been released from various prisons across the US, Norway, Germany, Poland, and Slovenia, including individuals accused of intelligence activities. Among those returning to Russia are the children of two of the prisoners.

The swap occurred on the runway at Ankara Airport, with the Turkish government hosting the exchange due to its favourable relations with both the US and Russia. Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan were among the notable figures freed, along with Russian security service hitman Vadim Krasikov, who Germany released.

These individuals are expected to arrive at Joint Base Andrews in the US. Gershkovich's family expressed their anticipation, stating they "can't wait to give him the biggest hug" after waiting 491 days for his release.

Speculation about a significant prisoner swap had been rife, especially after several prisoners were transferred from Russian jails to undisclosed locations. President Joe Biden confirmed that US Marine veteran Paul Whelan, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and Russian-British activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who holds a US green card, are also returning to the US.

Details of the Exchange

The deal, which took over 18 months to finalize, hinged on Moscow's demand for the return of Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for an assassination in a Berlin park. Senior US officials described Krasikov as a "bad dude" and "the biggest fish the Russians wanted back," as reported by the media.

BBC reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials, along with a guard of honour, welcomed the returning Russians at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. Earlier discussions about a prisoner swap had included jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, but the negotiations fell through following his death in February. Navalny's widow, Yulia, welcomed the current swap, calling it a "joy" and stating, "Every released political prisoner is a huge victory and a reason to celebrate."

President Biden called the exchange a "feat of diplomacy" and thanked the countries that participated in the complex negotiations. He noted that the released individuals had been convicted in "show trials" and sentenced to "long prison terms with absolutely no legitimate reason whatsoever." Biden also spoke with the relatives of the freed Americans and Kara-Murza from the Oval Office after the exchange was completed.

The Kremlin issued a statement confirming that 13 prisoners had been pardoned to secure the return of Russians held abroad. Among those released was German citizen Rico Krieger, who had been sentenced to death in Belarus before being pardoned by President Alexander Lukashenko. The exchange also included Russian political prisoners Ilya Yashin and Oleg Orlov.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz supported the swap, saying it was "the right decision" and that "many of the prisoners feared for their health and even their lives." He made these remarks after meeting some of the released prisoners at Cologne Bonn Airport.

Earlier, the Turkish presidency confirmed that prisoners from both sides were moved to secure locations at Ankara Airport under Turkish security supervision before being flown to their respective countries. The exchange involved 26 individuals, including two children who returned to Russia with their parents, Artyom Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, a Russian couple convicted of spying in Slovenia.

This historic exchange follows heightened speculation and unusual prison transfers in Russia, marking a significant diplomatic event reported BBC. The last notable prisoner swap occurred in December 2022 when US basketball star Brittney Griner was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Before that, a major exchange took place in 2010 in Vienna, involving 10 Russian spies and four alleged double agents, including Sergei Skripal, who was later poisoned in Salisbury in 2018.

Tensions between Moscow and the West remain high, particularly since the Russia -  Ukraine conflict that began in February 2022.