Produced in collaboration with SBS Russian
TRANSCRIPT
The United States and Russia completed their largest prisoner swap since the Cold War.
This exchange involved 24 individuals.
Astonishing in scope, the trade followed years of secretive back-channel negotiations.
This is despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine
Among those released were Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive Paul Whelan, both of whom had been imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges.
The exchange took place on the runway at Ankara airport in Turkey.
It was a moment of relief and joy for the families of those released.
US President Joe Biden hailed the swap as a feat of diplomacy, thanking the many countries that participated in the negotiations.
"The deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship, friendship. Multiple countries helped get this done. They joined a difficult, complex negotiation at my request and I personally thank them all again. I thanked them in person and I thank them again. All told, Russia has released 16 prisoners. Eight Russians who were being held in the West will be sent home as well. These 16 prisoners from Russia that Russia has released include four Americans, five Germans, seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country."
Evan Gershkovich was arrested in 2023 and convicted of espionage in July 2024.
His arrest was widely condemned by the international community, with many viewing the charges as baseless and politically motivated, something U-S Vice-president Kamala Harris touched upon.
"They and their families have shown incredible courage in the face of atrocious and devastating circumstances. Russian authorities arrested, convicted them on sham trials, and sentenced them to long prison terms. This has been an appalling perversion of justice. Over many years President Biden and I, and our team, have engaged in complex diplomatic negotiations to bring these wrongfully detained Americans home. We never stopped fighting for their release. And today, in spite of all of their suffering, it gives me great comfort to know that their horrible ordeal is finally over."
At the Wall Street Journal it was all applause and cheers as the newsroom learned of the prisoner exchange that included their colleague, Mr Gershkovich.
Paul Whelan, on the other hand, had been detained since 2018, also on espionage charges that he and the US government have consistently denied.
In addition to Mr Gershkovich and Mr Whelan, the US secured the release of Alsu Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Kremlin critic and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer.
Mr Kara-Murza had been serving a 25-year sentence on charges of treason, which were widely seen as politically motivated.
He is a US green card holder and negotiations for this exchange involved more than six countries.
Russia secured the release of several of its nationals, including Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for an assassination in Berlin.
The swap also included two alleged sleeper agents jailed in Slovenia and three men charged by U-S federal authorities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday night greeted the Russian prisoners who were freed.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says President Biden personally joined a call with the families of the released Americans and Kara-Murza from the Oval Office after the exchange was completed.
"The president invited the family members in at the moment that we received the word from the tarmac in Ankara that the exchange was complete and he was able to give them the news directly that the exchange was, in fact, complete ... The family members were both overwhelmed, of course, by the events of the day. And also standing there in the president presence of the US president at the Resolute Desk."
Chris Van Heerden is the boyfriend of Russian -American woman Ksenia Karelina who is still being held in Russia under charges of treason.
Mr Van Heerden says Ms Karelina is set to front court in Russia next week, a reason she may not have been among those released.
"I'm happy for them. I'm happy for the hostages, for the people, the Americans that has been returned to their families. I'm very happy. And this makes me very hopeful. But at the same time, I'm very heartbroken and sad because my Ksenia is not on that list.”
Ivan Pavlov is a lawyer, and human rights activist.
He told SBS Russian about why he thinks Mr Putin agreed to the prisoner exchange.
"I think that now is a good time for Putin to demonstrate his readiness for some negotiations and for some, so to speak, positive steps on his part. This manifested in the exchange. He exchanged a large number of not only foreign citizens, but also released a large number of political prisoners. This in general should make a certain impression on everyone and show that he is such a good guy, you can deal with him, you can negotiate with him. But again — that this is a game of the special services. And we, of course, welcome the release of our colleagues, and it is very important that they are released, but we definitely cannot let our guard down."
