How a historic prisoner swap was orchestrated despite strained US-Russia relations | DW News

On Thursday, a historic prisoner swap between Russia and the West was completed in Turkey. This was the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the Cold War. The exchange took place at Ankara airport - and involved 24 adults and two children. Many high-profile prisoners held in Russian jails have been released. They include American journalist Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and several Russian dissidents. Among the prisoners being returned to Russia is Vadim Krasikov. He was convicted in Germany of killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park, apparently on the orders of Moscow's security services. US President Joe Biden spoke at the White House after the deal had been successfully pulled off, triumphantly announcing: "We are bringing them home."

This was a complex deal that involved secret negotiations and several countries, including Germany, each of whom admitted that the exchange required some tough decisions. Though they included high profile American detainees, the White House says there was "no direct engagement" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Chapter Breakdown
0:00 - 2:55 - US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz react to prisoner swap
2:56 - 7:37 - Danielle Gilbert, Political Scientist at Northwestern University, explains the difficult decisions taken to engineer the prisoner swap
7:38 - 13:01 - Joshua Yaffa, journalist and friend of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, describes the ordeal experienced by Evan and the sense of relief at his release