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Russia released the journalist Wall Street JournalEvan Gershkovichand former U.S. Marine Corps Paul Whelan It was part of a historic exchange of 24 prisoners between seven countries, the largest since the Cold War, and was confirmed by the Turkish government, which coordinated the massive operation. In return, Moscow has demanded the release of spies held in various Western countries, such as a couple holding Argentinian passports in a Slovenian prison.
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“The Turkish intelligence agency in Ankara carried out the largest prisoner exchange in recent years, involving 26 prisoners from prisons in seven different countries (the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus),” The Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that seven planes were designated for the prisoner transfer. It was later confirmed that 24 prisoners were exchanged.
US President Joe Biden declared the deal a “feat of diplomacy” He described the news as “unbelievable”, adding that the detainees’ “brutal experience is over”.
“Today is a powerful example Why having friends in this world is so importanthe said during remarks at the White House alongside relatives of the four people released, three Americans and one resident.
Among them, this exchange involves former members of the U.S. Marine Corps Paul Whelanimprisoned in Russia; to American journalists Wall Street Journal Evan Gershkovich, Sentenced in Russia a few weeks ago Sentenced to 16 years in prison for “espionage” yes Vladimir Kara-MurzaThe Pulitzer Prize-winning Russian-British columnist was sentenced to 25 years in prison for treason.
Vadim Krasikov, Turkey’s presidency said a suspected Russian agent jailed in Germany for the 2019 murder of a former Chechen separatist commander in Berlin had also been released.
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President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin’s close ally was pardoned on Tuesday Rico Kriegera German national sentenced to death in the country for terrorism. Krieger and Russian opposition politicians were among those released Ilya Yashin, According to reports from Türkiye.
he Spanish journalist Pablo González Yagu, He has been held in Poland since February 2022, the month Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, and Accused of spying for the Kremlin, He was also released, the newspaper reported. nation.
The couple Russian spy with Argentinian citizenship She was convicted in Slovenia –Maria Rosa Mayer Munoz yes Ludwig Gischalthough their true identity is in Argentina Anna Valeryevna Durtseva yes Artyom Viktorovich Dultchev – They were also part of the exchange, along with three men charged by U.S. federal authorities, including Roman Seleznev, A convicted computer hacker, the son of a Russian lawmaker, and Vadim Konoshchenokan alleged Russian intelligence operative, is accused of supplying the Russian military with American-made electronics and ammunition. Norway has repatriated an academic arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia.
According to him Wall Street Journal, He reported extensively on the journalists’ release, noting that “White House officials, American diplomats and CIA personnel have traveled across Europe and the Middle East looking for friendly governments willing to release Russian spies they are detaining in exchange for Americans detained by the Kremlin.”
“Biden, about an hour before notifying the world that he would withdraw from the presidential race on July 21, The Slovenian prime minister called Slovenia to secure the necessary pardons for the deal, and Slovenia is offering two convicted Russian spies in the swap.” Details of instructions related to the negotiation Release the couple, who hold Argentinian passports.
Seven aircraft
Prisoners They were transported to Turkey on seven planes from the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Russia. The Turkish government specified. The president noted that one plane took off from each country except the United States, which had two planes leaving “within the framework of the prisoner exchange operation.”
The agreement is the latest in a series of exchanges between Washington and Moscow over the past two years. The swap in December 2022 sent basketball star Brittney Griner back to the United States in exchange for renowned arms dealer Victor Bu.
But good news will surely come Concerns about an unbalanced agreement – Russia’s release of journalists, dissidents and others convicted in a highly politicized justice system in exchange for charges the West deems legitimate – and whether that would incentivize foreign actors seeking to exert influence over the United States to take prisoners.
The largest prisoner exchange since the Cold War took place in 2010. A total of 14 people participated. Among them Russian Anna Chapman, Convicted of a crime in the United States, and Sergei Skripal A double agent imprisoned in Russia.
However, no large-scale prisoner exchanges have taken place since 1985 and 1986 during the final days of the Cold War.
for a long time, Russia has shown interest in recovering Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted in Germany in 2021 for the murder of a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park two years earlier. Apparently on orders from Moscow’s security services.
Speculation about a possible prisoner swap has been rife for weeks because of an unusual series of events, including a surprisingly quick trial and a conviction that Washington considers a sham. Sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment in a maximum security prison.
Also in recent days, other figures have been jailed in Russia for speaking out against the war in Ukraine or for working with the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. They were transferred from the prison to an unknown location.
Prisoner exchange This would mean victory for US President Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris He will face Republican Donald Trump in the November presidential election.
Published
Gershkovich, 32, was arrested on March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. Authorities claimed, without providing evidence, that the journalist was collecting secret information for the U.S. Gershkovich, the son of Soviet immigrants living in New Jersey, moved to Russia in 2017 to work for The Moscow Times before being hired by The Wall Street Journal in 2022.
US puts pressure on Moscow to gain Gershkovich was released. He, his family, people close to him and the White House have all given assurances that the Russian allegations are baseless.
Following his conviction, President Joe Biden pledged the US would “work hard” to have him released. Gershkovich “was persecuted by Russian authorities for being a journalist and an American” The president subsequently condemned it.
Before Turkey confirmed the news, the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders announced on Thursday that it was “extremely relieved” that the journalist had finally been released.
Washington also worked behind the scenes to secure the former Marine’s release. Paul Whelan, Aged 54, he holds British, Irish and Canadian citizenship.
Whelan has been detained in Moscow since December 2018 on charges of “espionage”, a charge he denies, and is one of the most recent detainees to have “disappeared” from Russian prisons.
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