Russia to free Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan in prisoner swap

The exchange of 24 prisoners between Russia and the West will be the largest since the Cold War.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersHuge prisoner exchange under way after days of speculationGetty ImagesEx-US Marine Paul Whelan was jailed in 2020 in RussiaA major prisoner exchange between Russia, the US and four European countries is under way in Ankara, the Turkish presidency has confirmed.

Three US citizens imprisoned in Russia - Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, US Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva - are thought to be among those being released.

In total, the exchange will involve at least 24 prisoners.

Eight Russian nationals are expected to be returned to Russia, including several with suspected ties to Russian intelligence.

One of them is Vadim Krasikov, identified by German officials as a colonel in Russia’s FSB intelligence service, who is serving a life sentence for the 2019 murder of a Kremlin opponent in a Berlin Park.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c29d6k382k5o

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