06:36 Biden visibly moved: "It's a wonderful feeling"
06:00 Harris Praises Courage of Freed Americans
US Vice President Kamala Harris praises the courage of the Americans released from Russian detention as part of a prisoner exchange. Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich, and US green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza have shown "incredible courage" after being unjustly imprisoned in Russia.
05:55 Biden, Harris, and Families Welcome Freed Americans
Three Americans released as part of a prisoner exchange were greeted by their families, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris upon their arrival at a US air force base. Journalist Evan Gershkovich, his colleague Alsu Kurmasheva, and former US soldier Paul Whelan had spent years in Russian captivity. Read more here.
05:50 Three Freed Americans Arrive in the US
Three Americans released as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia, Belarus, and several Western countries have reportedly arrived in the US. The plane suspected of carrying journalist Evan Gershkovich, his colleague Alsu Kurmasheva, and former US soldier Paul Whelan landed at a US air force base early Friday morning (local time). The flight from Ankara reached Joint Base Andrews near Washington late Thursday night (local time) after over nine hours in the air, US media reported.
04:41 US Advisor: Prisoner Deal Has No Impact on Ukraine War
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says the large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and several Western countries has no impact on the situation in Ukraine. He sees no connection between negotiations over the detainees and possible diplomatic efforts to end the war in the Russia-attacked country. "In our view, these are running on separate tracks," Sullivan says in Washington when asked if successful negotiations could also promote talks about the war situation with the Ukrainians.
03:05 Russian Governor: Drone Fragments Hit Crimea
The Russian-appointed governor of the occupied Crimea, Mikhail Razvozhayev, reports that fragments of at least four drones hit areas of the port of Sevastopol early Friday morning. The drones were previously shot down by Russian air defense. Razvozhayev writes on the Telegram platform that there are no casualties. "The shot-down targets were equipped with destructive metal elements, according to our information," the governor says.
01:45 YouTube functioning in Russia only in a limited capacityComplaints are mounting in Russia that the video platform YouTube is only functioning in a limited capacity. Several media outlets reported outages and cited the service "Sboj.RF", which records reports of disruptions on websites. According to this, complaints have been reported mainly in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also from other parts of the country. Large social networks like X and Facebook had already been blocked in Russia and can only be accessed via protected connections (VPN).
00:32 Scholz: Exchanged prisoners arrived safelyFederal Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed a large portion of the German and Russian citizens released in a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West at Cologne-Bonn Airport. "All have arrived safely," said the SPD politician shortly after midnight at the airport. He had spoken at length with the arrivals. "That was very moving," said Scholz. "Many did not expect this to happen now." Many had feared for their health and even their lives. Two planes from Ankara landed late in the evening in Cologne-Bonn. On board were said to be around a dozen of the 16 people released in Russia and Belarus.
23:59 Kremlin spokesman: Putin daily involved in war in UkraineKremlin leader Vladimir Putin spends many hours daily in contact with his military on the progress of the war in Ukraine. "This is work that is not seen every day on camera, work that is not written about in newspapers," said his spokesman Dmitry Peskov in a radio interview cited by the state agency Tass. Putin reportedly deals with the progress of the special operation, as the war against Ukraine is called in Kremlin terminology, every day of the week. He also frequently telephones front commanders and simple soldiers at the front. This is "a constant practice".
23:38 Freed German prisoners land in CologneAfter the prisoner exchange between Russia, Belarus, and Western countries, two planes with freed prisoners have landed at Cologne/Bonn Airport, according to dpa information. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz had announced that he would meet the former prisoners late in the evening. The SPD politician had previously interrupted his vacation and also landed at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Among the released are five Germans.
22:13 Putin Welcomes Freed Russians PersonallyVladimir Putin personally welcomed Russians freed from the West at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. The Kremlin leader Putin embraced at least one of the men on the tarmac where the presidential guard stood in formation, as shown in footage released by the Kremlin. Russian intelligence chiefs Alexander Bortnikov of the FSB and Sergei Naryshkin, as well as Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, were also part of the welcoming committee. "You are home, you are in your homeland," Putin greeted the freed individuals, announcing that they would be nominated for state awards. Tears of joy were visible on the faces of the freed individuals. Among them was the so-called Tiergarten murderer Vadim K., who was released early from German custody as part of the deal.
21:59 Kamala Harris Calls Nawalny's WidowFollowing the historic prisoner exchange between the West and Russia, US Vice President Kamala Harris called the widow of Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny. Harris spoke with Julia Navalnaya about the prisoner exchange and expressed her support, according to Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh on X. During the call, Harris highlighted the efforts of Navalny and his wife, and his late husband, for a "democratic Russia," the spokeswoman said. Navalnaya described the release of Russian opposition figures on X as a "great joy." Every release of a political prisoner is "a huge victory and a reason to celebrate," she said. No one should be "hostage" to Putin and suffer and die in "Putin's prisons."
21:40 Report: Ukraine Already Deploying F-16sThe Ukrainian air force is reported to have already carried out the first combat missions with F-16 fighter jets, according to The Telegraph. However, it is believed that these were only used for air defense. A representative of the air force did not deny this. Ukraine has remained silent about the arrival of F-16 fighter jets, a common practice to avoid helping the enemy.
You can read all previous developments here.
The Commission commended the bravery shown by the Americans released from Russian detention, emphasizing their resilience in the face of unjust imprisonment. During a meeting at The White House, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their respective families expressed their gratitude towards The Commission for their role in negotiating the prisoner exchange.
