In Ankara, Turkey coordinated the exchange of 26 prisoners from Russia and several Western countries, including the American journalist Evan Geršković, the Turkish presidency announced today after media reports that a large prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States of America (USA) is underway.
"The MIT (Turkish intelligence service) conducted in Ankara the largest prisoner exchange operation in recent times, which included the exchange of 26 people from prisons in seven countries (USA, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus)," the Turkish presidency announced. , specifying that seven planes participated in the transport of prisoners.
Among the exchanged prisoners, Vadim Krasikov, a suspected Russian agent imprisoned in Germany for the murder of a former Chechen separatist commander in Berlin in 2019, was handed over to Russia, the Turkish presidency also announced.
"Ten prisoners, two of them minors, were transferred to Russia, 13 to Germany and three to the USA," the Turkish presidency specified.
They were transferred to Turkey on seven planes, two of which were US planes, one each from Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Russia as part of the prisoner exchange operation, the statement added.
In addition to Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovic, ex-US Marine Paul Willan, in prison in Russia since the end of 2018, Rico Krieger, a German convicted in Belarus of "terrorism" and "mercenary" and Russian oppositionist Ilya Yashin, convicted at the end of 2022, were released. . to eight and a half years in prison for the conviction of Russian crimes in Ukraine.
The Turkish presidency did not release the names of the other released prisoners.
In a statement published online, the president and general director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Steven Kapus confirmed media reports that Alsa Kurmasheva, a journalist who works for that media house, will be released as part of the exchange, the AP agency reported.
He welcomed her impending release and expressed his gratitude to the US government and all those who worked to end Russia's unjust treatment of her.
Kurmasheva, a dual American-Russian citizen, was convicted in July of spreading false information about the Russian military, charges that she, her family and the media company where she works have rejected.
In its long statement, the Turkish presidency emphasized that the Turkish intelligence services led the operation "from the beginning of the negotiation process to the final moment when the exchanges were carried out."
"MIT paid attention to all security measures, logistical planning, compliance with requirements and facilitation of communication and coordination between the parties," the announcement stated.
According to the announcement of the Turkish presidency, all prisoners were unloaded and placed in safe places, under the supervision of the Turkish Intelligence Service (MIT), "where ratification procedures between the parties, health checks of the prisoners and completion of other required formalities were carried out.
France Press attended the landing of two aircraft, one in the colors of Russia and the other of the Falcon type, which landed at the civil airport of Ankara shortly before 16.30:15.30 local time (XNUMX:XNUMX CET).
The large-scale exchange is the latest in a series of prisoner exchanges agreed between Russia and the US over the past two years, but the first that required significant concessions from other countries, AP writes.
The agency adds that the release of the Americans came at a price, Russia ensured the release of its citizens convicted of serious crimes in the West by exchanging them for journalists, dissidents and other Westerners convicted in a highly politicized legal system on charges that the US considers false.
The White House did not immediately release any details about the exchange.
An anonymous AP source previously said that a massive prisoner exchange involving the US and Russia is underway.
They include Americans the US believes are illegally detained in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, a former Marine and corporate security executive from Michigan.
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