A big prisoner swap is believed to happen between Russia and the United States in Ankara, Turkey’s capital. Three Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, are expected to be released from Russian prisons on Thursday. The Russia-US Prisoner Swap is said to be organized by the Biden administration and will also include freeing the US Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.
Notable Figures Included in Russia-US Prisoner Swap
There are many notable figures that are going to be released in this prisoner swap. Along with United States journalist Evan Gershkovich, ex-United States marine Paul Whelan, and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Kremlin opponent with Russian-British citizenship, is included in the prisoner swap. Others on the list of this Russia-US prisoner exchange include figures such as Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin and human rights advocate Oleg Orlov.
Furthermore, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko forgave a German citizen, Rico Krieger, who had been condemned to death for terrorism and other charges.
Who announced the Russia-US Prisoner Swap?
There are a total of 24 prisoners in Russia, the United States, Germany, and other Western countries who are expected to be swapped in this Russia-US Prisoner Swap. Eight Russians will come back to Russia, including some suspected of being linked to Russian intelligence. Among them is Vadim Krasikov, a colonel in the FSB intelligence service in Russia. He is serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 murder of a Kremlin opponent in a Berlin park.
This swap was announced by the Turkish government and 26 individuals were held in 7 countries that will take part in this Russia-US Prisoner Swap. The countries included the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus. Among them, 10 prisoners, including two minors will go to Russia, 13 to Germany, and 3 to the US. The minors in this exchange are believed to be those of Artyom Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, a Russian couple convicted of spying in Slovenia, who are also part of the swap.
The government of Turkey mentioned all prisoners will be taken by planes and moved to a secure location under their security supervision – before sending them to their respective countries.
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Previous Major Prisoner Swap in History
If this release goes as planned, it will be considered one of the biggest Russia-US Prisoner Swap. In the past, a major prisoner swap was seen in December 2022, when United States basketball star Brittney Griner was exchanged for Viktor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer – imprisoned in the United States for 12 years.
Also back in 2010, another major exchange took place at Vienna International Airport, which was known as the “spy swap.” This exchange included 10 Russian spies held in the United States for four alleged double agents held in Russia. This included Sergei Skripal, who was later poisoned in the UK in 2018. The Russian agents, who were also called the “Illegals Program” spies, were part of a very long-term undercover operation, which aimed at gathering intelligence in the United States. The four people released by Russia included those who had been earlier convicted of several crimes such as espionage and other offenses.
It has been observed that relations between Moscow and the West have been strained in recent years. This has happened especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. So, this prisoner swap is seen as a significant diplomatic effort amid ongoing tensions.
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