Historic swap: 26 prisoners exchanged between Russia and West

High-profile detainees, including Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, freed in Turkey

A significant prisoner exchange involving Russia and Western nations, including the United States, took place in Ankara, Turkey, according to various reports on Thursday. This exchange is considered the largest of its kind since the Cold War.

According to Reuters, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been released from Russian custody as part of this extensive swap. The complex deal, which occurred in Turkey, involved the exchange of 26 individuals between Russia and Western countries such as the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Belarus. Of these prisoners, ten, including two minors, were returned to Russia, while 13 were sent to Germany and three to the United States.

The exchange also included other notable detainees, such as former US Marine Paul Whelan, who had been detained in Russia since 2018, and several Russian dissidents who had recently disappeared from prison. A report from Bloomberg stated that both Gershkovich and Whelan, accused of espionage by Russian authorities, have already been freed and are heading to a location outside Russia.

Turkish intelligence disclosed that it played a "major mediation role" in facilitating the exchange between Russia and Belarus on one side, and Western nations like the United States and Germany on the other. Despite numerous reports describing the exchange as the largest since the Cold War, neither Russia nor the U.S. disclosed details regarding the exchange's location. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked, “I’m still not making any comments on this.”

US citizens, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, US Marine Paul Whelan, and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, were released at Ankara airport on Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, eight Russians detained in the West were returned to Russia.

Overall, the swap involved 26 prisoners from seven nations, marking the largest such exchange since the Cold War. Ten people, including two minors, were transferred to Russia, 13 to Germany, and three to the United States. Notable figures in the exchange included German citizen Rico Krieger, imprisoned in Belarus; Russian dissident Ilya Yashin; and FSB colonel Vadim Krasikov, held in Germany.

A statement from Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) indicated that prisoners from the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Belarus, and Russia were involved in the exchange.

The deal followed months of negotiations between Moscow and Washington. A video broadcast by Reuters showed several individuals disembarking from a plane at Ankara airport and walking on the tarmac.

Neither the Kremlin nor the White House issued an official statement about the prisoner exchange, which has been described as the most significant since the Cold War. In the last notable exchange in 2010, 14 prisoners were swapped between the sides.