Russia and West agree to 24-person prisoner swap – media

The exchange will reportedly involve Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and US Marine veteran Paul Whelan

Russia and a number of Western countries, including Germany and the US, have reportedly agreed to a complex 24-person prisoner swap, the BBC and CBS reported on Thursday, citing a senior US administration official.

Shortly after the original publication of its report, however, the US-based network deleted any mention of the exact number of prisoners set to take part in the exchange.

The exchange is reportedly set to include the release of three American citizens imprisoned in Russia, namely Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.

In its updated article, CBS claimed that at least 12 prisoners being held in Russia are expected to be released to Germany, while Moscow will reportedly get eight of its nationals in return. This has also been reported by the BBC.

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That number includes Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted of the murder of a former Chechen militant commander in Germany in 2021.

Jailed opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, who holds dual Russian-British citizenship, is also reportedly part of the exchange as his current whereabouts are unknown. Several media outlets have speculated that he could be in the process of being released.

The Telegraph has reported on Kara-Murza’s potential release, noting that a group of British MPs have been pushing the UK Foreign Office to secure his freedom. “The US has had Kara-Murza on their radar, but there are not guarantees,” one MP told the outlet.

Details regarding the timing of the prisoner swap remain unclear, but CNN has cited anonymous sources as saying that the exchange is already underway.

The latest prisoner swap appears to be the most significant of its kind between Russia and the West since December 2022. On that occasion, the US released Russian businessman Viktor Bout in exchange for American basketball player Brittney Griner, who had been convicted on drug charges in Moscow.