A major exchange of prisoners between Russia and the West continues in Ankara, according to the Turkish presidency.
It said Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and US Navy veteran Paul Whelan were among those released.
Eight Russian citizens are expected to be extradited to Russia from the US, Norway, Slovenia, Poland and Germany, including many with suspected links to Russian intelligence.
Turkey – which facilitated and hosted the transition – said 26 people were involved in the transaction.
There was no public confirmation of the agreement from Moscow, Washington or any European capital.
One of them Vadim Krasikov, identified by German officials as a colonel in Russia’s FSB intelligence servicewho is serving a life sentence for the murder of a Kremlin dissident in 2019 in Berlin Park.
Ten prisoners – including two children – were transferred to Russia, 13 to Germany and three to the US, according to Turkey.
The children in question are thought to belong to Artyom Dultsev and Anna Dultsev, a Russian couple recently convicted of espionage in Slovenia, who are thought to be among those being exchanged.
German citizen Rico Krieger, who was sentenced to death in Belarus at the time and was pardoned by President Alexander Lukashenko, and Russian political prisoner Ilya Yashin were also on the list, Turkey said.
The President’s Office added that all the prisoners were removed from the planes, taken to secure areas under the supervision of Turkish security officials, and then put on planes to their countries of destination.
The exchange comes after days of speculation about a major exchange between the various countries, which escalated after several dissidents and journalists imprisoned in Russia were moved from their cells to unknown locations.
These include Vladimir Kara-Murza, an anti-Kremlin with dual Russian-British citizenship, and human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov. It is thought that they are also among those who were released.
Although secret prison transfers are common in Russia, many known “disappearances” of prisoners were rare.
If all the releases happen, it will be the biggest trade-off between Russia and the West in history.
A high-profile prisoner exchange took place in December 2022, when American basketball star Brittney Griner exchanged tarmac at Abu Dhabi airport with notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had been imprisoned for 12 years in an American prison.
The last comparable one took place in Vienna in 2010, when 10 Russian spies held in the US were replaced by four suspected double agents held in Russia.
One of them was Sergei Skripal, a former military intelligence officer, who was later poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury in 2018.
Tensions between Moscow and the West have been high in recent years, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
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