A large-scale prisoner swap between the US and Russia is under way, according to a source familiar, and it is expected to include Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and a number of Americans, CNN reports.
Russia may return Vadim Krasikov, who is serving time in Germany, as part of the exchange, while Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan, convicted of espionage, may be extradited to the US from Russia. The two Americans are additionally reported to be in US custody shortly.
Slovenia announced the deportation of two Russian citizens accused of espionage on 31 July, prompting Slovenian journalists to talk about the possibility of a larger prisoner exchange. The media had previously circulated information about the forthcoming exchange between the US and Russia, but the Slovenian TV channel N1 directly indicated that it would take place and Belarus and Germany could also take part in it.
The Belarusian court sentenced German Rico Krieger to death in mid-June. The day before, on 30 July, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned Krieger. N1 reports that Krieger is a “part of the upcoming larger prisoner exchange package.” The channel says Germany will probably exchange Krieger for Krasikov.
The Dultsevs, who were found guilty of espionage by a court in Ljubljana will be taken to Russia.
Some prisoners in Russia receive information from their lawyers about their departure from the places of detention. These include Ilya Yashin, ex-heads of Alexei Navalny’s headquarters in Ufa and Tomsk Liliya Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeeva, artist Alexandra Skochilenko, co-chairman of Memorial Oleg Orlov, 19-year-old Kevin Lik and politician Vladimir Kara-Murza.
According to American journalists, if the deal goes through, it will be the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States since the end of the Cold War.
CNN reported last May that Washington was allowing a partial easing of anti-Russian sanctions in order to release Americans imprisoned in Russia. It was about Gershkovich and Paul Whelan. Whelan then accused the US authorities of betraying him, abandoning him in a Russian prison, and missing the opportunity to return him in exchange for another prisoner.
