Russia to release Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan in prisoner swap

A major prisoner exchange between Russia, the US and four European countries is underway in Ankara, the Turkish president said.

Three US citizens detained in Russia – Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, US Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva – are thought to be among those released.

In total, the exchange will involve at least 24 prisoners.

Eight Russian nationals are expected to be returned to Russia, including some suspected of having links to Russian intelligence.

One of them Vadim Krasikov, identified by German officials as a colonel in Russia’s FSB intelligence servicewho is serving a life sentence for the murder of a Kremlin dissident in 2019 in Berlin Park.

German media reported that he was on a flight to the Turkish capital Ankara.

The exchange comes after days of speculation about a major exchange between the two countries, which escalated after several dissidents and journalists imprisoned in Russia were moved from their cells to unknown locations.

Vladimir Kara-Murza, an anti-Kremlin activist with dual Russian-British citizenship, is one of those held incommunicado, which has fueled speculation that he may also be released.

Others who may be on the list are Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin and veteran human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov.

Although secret prison transfers are common in Russia, many known “disappearances” of prisoners were rare.

Earlier this week, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko pardoned German citizen Rico Krieger who had been sentenced to death for terrorism and other crimes.

If all the releases happen, it will be the biggest trade-off between Russia and the West in history.

A high-profile prisoner exchange took place in December 2022, when American basketball star Brittney Griner exchanged tarmac at Abu Dhabi airport with notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been imprisoned for 12 years in an American prison.

The last comparable one took place in Vienna in 2010, when 10 Russian spies held in the US were replaced by four suspected double agents held in Russia.

One of them was Sergei Skripal, a former military intelligence officer, who was later poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury in 2018.

Tensions between Moscow and the West have been high in recent years, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.