Historic prisoner exchange between the West and Russia: several Germans freed
Relations between the West and Russia are particularly tense, especially due to the Ukraine war. A prisoner exchange of this magnitude between both sides hasn't occurred since the Cold War.
According to the Turkish Presidential Office, two planes from the US and one plane each from Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus flew prisoners to Turkey. Thirteen prisoners released by Russia were reportedly taken to Germany, with three more going to the US. US President Joe Biden stated that among the 16 people released by Russia were five Germans, seven Russians, three US citizens, and one US resident.
Prominent figures among the released include US reporter Gershkovich, Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Mursa, who also holds British citizenship, and Russian opposition figure Ilya Yashin.
The Turkish Presidential Office mentioned a total of 26 released prisoners, including two minors. Eight or ten prisoners released from the West were reportedly flown back to Russia. The Turkish Presidential Office only published a partial list of the freed prisoners' names. Biden called it a "diplomatic masterstroke" that ended the "suffering" of prisoners like Gershkovich.
The now-free Russian, Vadim Krasikov, known as the "Tiergarten murderer," was sentenced to life in Germany in late 2021 for shooting a Georgian man of Chechen origin in Berlin's Tiergarten in August 2019 on behalf of the Russian state. The German government "did not make its consent to Krasikov's release easy," according to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin.
According to Turkish reports, German national Rico Krieger, sentenced to death in Belarus on charges of "terrorism" and "mercenary activities" on June 24, was also released. On Tuesday, it was announced from Minsk that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had pardoned the German "taking into account all circumstances." Previously, Krieger had been shown on Belarusian state TV asking for pardon.
Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich was arrested in March 2023 and sentenced to 16 years in a labor camp in July 2023 for "espionage." The 32-year-old US journalist, his newsroom, and the US government have strongly denied the charges.
Gershkovich's trial lasted only about three weeks, much shorter than similar cases. Moscow has long pursued the policy of exchanging foreign prisoners only after they have been convicted. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had hinted that the US reporter could be released in exchange, mentioning Krasikov.
Also freed on Thursday was 54-year-old former US soldier Paul Whelan, who had been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on "espionage" charges.
Turkey also confirmed the release of Russian opposition politicians Yashin and Kara-Mursa. The ailing Kara-Mursa was imprisoned for "treason" and "disseminating false information." Yashin, a close associate of the murdered opposition politician Boris Nemtsov and friend of the late Alexei Navalny, was sentenced for criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In recent days, the transfer of several opposition figures imprisoned in Russia, as well as the unclear fate of other detainees, has fueled speculation about an impending larger prisoner exchange.
The last such exchange took place in December 2022, when American basketball player Brittney Griner was released in a swap for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. In 2010, Russia and the West exchanged 14 suspected spies, including Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and undercover agent Anna Chapman.
Christian Mihr, Deputy Secretary General of Amnesty International Germany, expressed "great relief" about the releases. However, Putin's use of political prisoners as "leverage" left a "bitter taste". Both Reporters Without Borders and the German Journalists' Association reacted with relief to Gershkovich's release.
Norway contributed to the prisoner exchange with a plane, as mentioned in the Turkish Presidential Office's report.Germany and Norway were among the countries that aided in the transportation of released prisoners to their respective destinations.
