They say that sometimes “real inspires reel”. However, maybe this time it was truly motivating. August 1’s prisoner swap with Russia may have seemed like a spy movie from the 1980s, but it was actually a laborious process that took more than two years to complete, including secret negotiations and intricate diplomacy between the US, Germany, and Russia—all of which had competing interests.
However, as they say, persistence pays off, and sixteen individuals are now enjoying freedom. These individuals include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is currently serving a harsh sentence due to allegations of spying; Vladimir Kara-Murza, a contributor to the Washington Post and one of the most vocal and forceful opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin; and Paul Whelan, a former Marine who had been imprisoned in Russia for more than five years due to false accusations.
This prisoner exchange with Russia is the biggest since the end of the Cold War. Given that relations between the participating nations are still tense and that Russia is still fighting Ukraine, it is noteworthy that this, one of the most intricate prisoner swaps in history, took place at all.
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Details of prisoner swap between US, Russia
16 Americans, 16 Russians, and 8 Germans will be freed from prison in return for eight Russians who are being held in the US, Germany, and other nations. The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia in 2023 while on a journalistic assignment, is one among the individuals being released.
The US government and he have both vehemently denied any involvement in helping the CIA obtain information about a Russian manufacturer of military equipment, which led to his detention.
Another is Paul Whelan, a Canadian, English, Irish, and US citizen who was charged with spying in 2018 after attending a wedding in Moscow. In the same way, he refuted their claims. Additionally released by Moscow were Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was serving a 25-year sentence for treason that was widely perceived as politically motivated, and Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe. Kurmasheva was found guilty in July of disseminating false information about the Russian military, although her family and employer have refuted the accusations.
Eight of its nationals were sent back to Russia in exchange; the most famous of these was Vadim Krasikov, who was found guilty in Germany in 2021 of killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park two years prior, ostensibly at the behest of Moscow’s secret agencies.
Furthermore, there were two suspected sleeper agents imprisoned in Slovenia, three US authorities charging them, and one each from Norway and Poland. The prisoner trade, which involved seven nations—the United States, Slovenia, Turkey, Norway, and Germany—was referred to by the New York Times as “the most far-reaching exchange between Russia and the West in decades.”
According to White House officials, this prisoner exchange has been planned since 2022. Actually, the discussions that resulted in the exchange on Thursday began more than two years ago—prior to Gershkovich’s incarceration.
According to US officials, negotiations started after WNBA player Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia on drug-related charges. Informants who spoke with Reuters claimed that Russia made them an offer known as “a spy for a spy.”
They were prepared to trade Russian hitman Vadim Krasikov for the freedom of Griner and Whelan. Krasikov, however, was not incarcerated in America; rather, he was serving a life sentence in Germany for the daylight murder of an exiled Chechen-Georgian dissident in a Berlin park.
Following months of negotiations, it was agreed in December 2022 that Griner would be freed in exchange for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout. Whelan, though, would be abandoned. Following months of negotiations, it was agreed in December 2022 that Griner would be freed in exchange for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout. Whelan, though, would be abandoned.
In response, Lavrov declared that Evan had been “caught red-handed” and that “his status as a journalist does not grant him immunity.” Russia maintained that the journalist was a spy.
“We both qualify as adults,” Blinken answered. “You are aware that despite our best efforts, we don’t use journalists to gather information.”
After a month of Gershkovich’s imprisonment, the US requested Krasikov’s release from Germany. The names of those who could be added to the prisoner swap were exchanged. Following extensive consideration and dialogue, the issue made its way to the office of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
According to people with knowledge of the situation, Scholz traveled to the US in January of this year at President Joe Biden’s invitation, and during their visit, they talked about the potential for a prisoner swap. The German side indicated that it would be willing to free Krasikov in exchange for the release of Russian activist Alexei Navalny, who was detained in a Russian penal colony.
The Washington Post claims that Scholz said to Biden at the time, “I will do this for you.” However, as they say, men’s best intentions frequently backfire. News of Navalny’s death in a remote Arctic prison broke on February 16.
Officials questioned how the proposal would proceed in the absence of Navalny as Germany became less enthusiastic about the notion. Only in June did months of talks and negotiations pay off, with Berlin approving an agreement and Washington extending the offer to Russia by the end of the month.
According to a Reuters article, a US official stated that the Russians had initially agreed in principle to the trade in early July and subsequently accepted it in late July. The person stated, “Then we hit the ground running,” and an interagency taskforce got to work completing the intricate plans for the swap.
Remarkably, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place just as Biden’s own political career was collapsing. Just one hour prior to declaring his withdrawal from the US presidential election, Biden had contacted the prime minister of Slovenia from his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home to negotiate a last-minute detail of the agreement.
After settling the matter, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called the parents of Gershkovich and Elizabeth Whelan on Tuesday and extended an invitation for them to visit the White House on Thursday.
One command in particular jumped out of the phone call inviting them to the White House: Tell no one.
Sullivan sobbed on the White House platform on Thursday, August 1, when the families of the American victims gathered there. He greeted the day as a “good day.”
Planes zoomed over Europe on Thursday, transporting the many parts of this delicate puzzle. All of the conversations happened on Thursday at the airport in Ankara.
At last, the Americans who had been freed by Russia landed at Andrews Air Force Base, where they met US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and were reunited with their families.
