It was the biggest prisoner swap in recent history, involving 24 people and seven countries. Sixteen journalists, pro-democracy activists, and others held by Russia and Belarus were exchanged Thursday for eight Russians jailed for espionage, murder, hacking, and other crimes in the US, Norway, Germany, Slovenia, and Poland. Here's how the Biden administration scored a win that might nonetheless embolden Russia:
- Who? The Wall Street Journal has blurbs on each of those freed. They include journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, former US Marine Paul Whelan; US resident Vladimir Kara-Murza; and Russian associates of the late Alexei Navalny. Russia, meanwhile, gains Vadim Krasikov.
- The key: Putin had "a kind of obsession" with freeing Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany for gunning down a former Chechen fighter, per the Washington Post. There was talk of Putin viewing the assassin, linked to an elite group within the Federal Security Service, as a friend. "Without Mr. Krasikov as part of a deal, there was no deal to be had," per the New York Times.
- A deal falls apart: The US had pushed Germany to release Krasikov in 2022, but there was too much political risk for Chancellor Olaf Scholz, per the Times. Scholz eventually agreed to free Krasikov in exchange for Alexei Navalny, but Navalny died soon after, meaning the deal had to be reworked.