U.S., Russia conduct largest prisoner exchange since Cold War

MADRID, 1st. (EUROPA PRESS)——

The United States and Russia on Thursday conducted the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War, brokered by Turkey, with the exchange of American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, opponent Vladimir Kara-Murza or Spanish journalist Pablo Gonzalez.

U.S. President Joe Biden described the exchange as a “feat.” “In total, we negotiated the release of 16 Russians, including five Germans and seven Russian citizens, who were political prisoners in their own countries,” he said in a statement released by the White House.

In this sense, Biden expressed his gratitude to all the allies – Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey – for the “difficult and complex” negotiations that led to the release of a total of 26 prisoners from different countries.

“I will not stop working until all Americans who have been unjustly detained or held hostage around the world are reunited with their families,” he said, adding that his administration has successfully freed 70 Americans, many of whom had been held since before he took office.

The operation was carried out by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT, for its Turkish acronym) and involved 26 people from prisons in seven different countries: the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus, according to the Anatolia state news agency.

Russia released 15 people in total, including former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and opposition figure Ilya Yashin, in addition to Gershkovich and Kara-Murza, while the United States released Vadim Konosenko, who was accused of espionage, and two other Russians.

According to CNN, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan assured in a statement to the media on Thursday that this is the largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War.

Sullivan also reported that President Joe Biden met with the families of Whelan, Gershkovic and Vladimir Karamurza, as well as the family of journalist Arsu Kurmasheva (who was also released in the exchange), and conveyed the news to them.

Wall Street Journal reporter Gershkovich was recently sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage; Whelan was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage two years later; and opposition figure Kara Murza, an ally of the late Alexei Navalny, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for treason.