Egypt Daily News – On Thursday, the United States and Russia conducted a significant prisoner exchange, releasing a total of 24 detainees, including former US Marine Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovitch. This comprehensive deal involved at least seven countries and was the culmination of years of intricate negotiations among the US, Russia, Belarus, and Germany.
Notably, Germany played a pivotal role by agreeing to release Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian murderer who was a key demand from Moscow.
Turkey also served as an intermediary in this exchange, with its National Intelligence agency reportedly conducting the largest prisoner exchange operation in recent history from Ankara.
The terms of the exchange included the release of eight individuals, such as Krasikov, to Russia in return for 16 detainees, four of whom were Americans, including Whelan and Gershkovitch. Additionally, prominent Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, a US permanent resident, and Russian-American journalist Alsou Kurmasheva were also released.
This operation marks the largest prisoner exchange between the US and Russia since the Cold War. President Joe Biden expressed his appreciation for the release of the Americans during a public event at the White House, where he was joined by their family members.
