Germany Major prisoner exchange - Moscow releases Kremlin critics

According to the Turkish secret service MIT, Russia, the USA, Germany and other countries are exchanging prisoners. Among the 26 prisoners is the so-called Russian Tiergarten murderer Wadim K., who was imprisoned in Germany. After mediation by the MIT, Russia released the US-Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, among others, who had been convicted of espionage, as well as numerous Kremlin critics. The German Rico K. in Belarus, who was pardoned following a death sentence, was also freed.

The Turkish secret service MIT announced that a total of seven aircraft had been involved. According to the report, prisoners who were also held in prisons in Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus were exchanged in the Turkish capital Ankara. According to the MIT intelligence service, it organized the deal itself. It spoke of a historic prisoner exchange.

According to MIT, the Russians released included prominent opposition politicians such as Vladimir Kara-Mursa and Ilya Yashin. In return, Russia received compatriots imprisoned in the West.

The exchange had been expected for some time - Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had recently repeatedly declared his willingness to do so. Putin has been criticized for using political prisoners as hostages in order to free Russians from Western prisons. For example, the USA had insisted on the release of reporter Gershkovich from the "Wall Street Journal", who had been convicted of espionage.

Putin wanted to bring the "Tiergarten murderer" to Russia

Putin, in turn, was particularly interested in the Russian imprisoned in Germany. The so-called Tiergarten murderer had killed a Georgian man in a park in Berlin who had sought refuge in Germany. The Russian president publicly defended the murderer because, in Russia's view, he had eliminated an enemy of the state. The victim called Putin a "bandit", "murderer" and "bloodthirsty person".

In 2021, a court in Berlin deemed it proven that the Russian, acting on behalf of the state, treacherously shot the Georgian in the park on August 23, 2019. The man had long been in Moscow's sights because he had been accused of leading a militia fighting against Russia for several years during the second Chechen war. According to Moscow, he was responsible for dozens of deaths among Russian security forces.

Prominent Kremlin opponents at liberty

In Russia, news of an unusual transfer of political prisoners had accumulated before the prisoner exchange became known. They had apparently been brought to Moscow for the prisoner exchange. The released Russians are said to include human rights activist Oleg Orlov from the Memorial organization and artist Alexandra Skochilenko.

All of them are opponents of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and had received long prison sentences. The West had criticized the sentences as arbitrary justice and demanded the release of the prisoners.

Prisoners exchanged earlier despite war

Political scientist Tatyana Stanovaya said that the Russians who have now been released could now hope for honors and political posts in their home country, for example as deputies in the State Duma, just like previous prisoners who have returned. She had previously stated that a major exchange was in the offing.

Stanovaya said that time was of the essence for the exchange because US President Joe Biden wanted to end his term of office in a dignified manner. Putin, for his part, was interested in the swap so as not to jeopardize the long preparations for the US elections. For the Kremlin, this was proof that the Americans can be very flexible and practical when they want something. "This means that they are also capable of making a deal on Ukraine if they want to, of course."

Despite their tense relations, the USA and Russia have repeatedly exchanged prisoners in the past. In December 2022, during the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, US basketball player Brittney Griner, who had been convicted of a drug offense, was released. In return, Moscow received the Russian arms dealer Viktor But, who had been convicted in the USA. But had expressed his support for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine after his return and is now a politician.