Several foreigners and Russian political prisoners released as Germany frees hitman Vadim Krasikov as part of deal
The largest prisoner swap between Russia and the US since the cold war has taken place, as 16 people were freed from Russian custody including the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Several other foreign citizens held in Russia and numerous Russian political prisoners were also freed.
The exchange took place at Ankara airport on Thursday in a complicated operation in which planes arrived from and departed to multiple countries.
Among those returning to Russia was the assassin Vadim Krasikov, who has been held in a German prison since 2019 for the murder of a Chechen exile in Berlin. Additionally, several deep-cover Russian “illegal” spies arrested in Norway and Slovenia were swapped, along with Russians held on criminal charges in US jails.
Cool negotiating with terrorists.
Now Russia is more incentivised to kidnap people on trumped up charges so they can swap them for killers.
Also surprised Germany only has 5 years prison time for political assassins.
They were already incentivised.
If we’re tallying up how many state sponsored assassins have committed political terrorism in other sovereign nations, I have some news for you about the West…
There’s a reason these swaps occur regularly instead of a one sided repatriation.