Türkiye mediates major prisoner exchange between Russia, West

Turkish intelligence has announced that it coordinated an extensive prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, involving 26 individuals from prisons of seven different countries.

"This operation has gone down in history as the most extensive hostage exchange between the US, Russia, and Germany in recent years," the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) said in a statement on Thursday.

As part of the exchange operation, individuals were transferred to Türkiye via a total of seven aircraft, including two from the US and one each from Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Russia.

Of these individuals, 10 hostages, including two children, were transferred to Russia, 13 hostages to Germany, and three hostages to the US.

Those being swapped included Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and US marine Paul Whelan, who had been imprisoned in Russia, the Turkish presidency said.

The Turkish presidency said in a statement that the individuals also come from prisons in Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus.

Gershkovich, 32, was detained in March 2023 and convicted in July on spying charges in a fast-track trial denounced as a sham by the United States.

'Historic operation'

It is one of the biggest East-West prisoner swaps since the Cold War, according to US media.

"The establishment of dialogue channels for this historic operation was facilitated by MIT," the statement by MIT said.

"From the beginning of the negotiation process to the final moment of the exchanges in Ankara, this operation between seven countries was managed by MIT."

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan congratulated the successful exchange. "A historic prisoner exchange operation was carried out in Ankara today. I wholeheartedly congratulate the personnel of the National Intelligence Organisation who took part in this operation, " Fidan said in a statement on X.

Türkiye will continue to be "the centre of peaceful diplomacy in line with the vision of our esteemed President," Fidan added.

Turkish Foreign Ministry also praised "the most extensive exchange operation of recent times."

"Türkiye will continue to make every contribution to ensuring peace and stability on the international stage," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

US Ambassador in Ankara Jeffrey Flake expressed gratitude to Türkiye for facilitating a prisoner exchange.

"I am thrilled that wrongfully detained Americans are now free and being reunited with their families, and I am grateful to the Government of Türkiye for extraordinary support in making today possible," Flake said in a message that was posted on X.

A citizen for a citizen

Among those expected to be sent to Russia in exchange is Vadim Krasikov, a Russian citizen imprisoned in Germany for killing a former Chechen commander in a brazen assassination.

This would be the first prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since US basketball player Brittney Griner was swapped in return for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December 2022.

They included double agent Sergei Skripal, who was sent by Moscow to Britain and undercover Russian agent Anna Chapman, sent by Washington to Russia.

Before then, major swaps involving more than a dozen people had only occurred during the Cold War, with Soviet and Western powers carrying out exchanges in 1985 and 1986.

Signs of an imminent prisoner swap had picked up momentum on Thursday, amid reports a plane used in a previous exchange deal had landed in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

During this period of escalating global tensions, Türkiye, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, continues to contribute to international peace and stability.

By utilising intelligence diplomacy and all intelligence tools, MIT contributes to the resolution of conflicts on the international stage.