US, Russia conduct largest prisoner swap since Cold War

In the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War, 24 prisoners were released earlier on Thursday, the White House confirmed.

The swap, which took place on the runway at Ankara airport on August 1, saw the release of 16 Western prisoners, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and eight Russian prisoners held in the US, Norway, Germany, Poland, and Slovenia, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The 16 released prisoners are on their way back to Europe and the US. Among them are US Marine veteran Paul Whelan, Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and Russian-British activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who holds a US green card.

The negotiations for this exchange spanned over 18 months and hinged on Moscow's demand for the return of Vadim Krasikov. Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for an assassination in a Berlin park, has now been returned to Russia. Senior US officials described Krasikov as a "bad dude" and the most significant figure the Russians sought to reclaim.

Upon arrival at Moscow's Vnukovo airport, Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with senior officials and a guard of honour, met the returning Russians.

US President Joe Biden confirmed that he did not communicate with Putin to finalize the deal and stated that there is no need for future talks with the Russian leader. Biden also highlighted that his administration has successfully secured the return of 70 US citizens during his presidency.

Vedant Patel, deputy head of the State Department's press office, emphasized during a press briefing that this prisoner exchange will not alter the bilateral relations between the US and Russia or affect the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He made it clear that the exchange is not indicative of a reset in relations.

Earlier, Putin signed decrees pardoning the Russian and foreign prisoners involved in the exchange to facilitate their return to Russia. The Russian President personally greeted the freed Russians at Vnukovo-2 airport, where they arrived aboard the Rossiya special flight unit. The returning citizens were welcomed with a guard of honour lined up along a red carpet, underscoring the significance of the event.