On Thursday, it emerged that several Western countries have entered into a historic prisoner exchange with Russia. 16 human rights activists and journalists are being exchanged for eight Russians, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide announced. We probably have to go back to the Cold War to see a similar prisoner exchange, says Eide. Some of them have been praised, and others have caused greater controversy. Vadim Krasikov German authorities have confirmed that Vadim Krasikov is part of the prisoner exchange agreement. They say that exchanging the Russian murderer is not “an easy decision”. It was in 2021 that Vadim Krasikov was sentenced for the murder of Georgian Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, who was formerly part of the Chechen defense. On a sunny August day in 2019, Khangoshvili was hit by three bullets in a park in Berlin. Photo: OBTAINED BY REUTERS / Reuters The judge called this terrorism and claimed that the mission came from Putin himself, Reuters writes. He was arrested only a minute after he shot and killed Khangoshvili. During the trial, he denied criminal guilt and maintained his false identity as Vadim Sokolov, a craftsman who was visiting Berlin. Whether he will continue to serve the sentence in Russia is still uncertain, and that is in Putin’s hands. Evan Gershkovich The Wall Street Journal journalist was arrested by Russian authorities in April 2013. He has been in a Russian prison since then. The Wall Street Journal has confirmed that Gershkovic is part of the prisoner exchange. Russia claimed that Gershkovic engaged in espionage when he was on a reporting trip for the Wall Street Journal. Photo: AP Prosecutor Mikhael Ozdojev claimed that the journalist acted on behalf of the American CIA and collected secret information about the defense company Uralvagonzavod in Yekaterinburg. The Wall Street Journal denied this, and Gershkovic has denied criminal liability. Today he will be extradited to the United States, confirms the employer. Oleg Orlov Espen Bart Eide confirms that peace prize winner Oleg Orlov is part of the prisoner exchange. The Russian human rights activist received the Nobel Peace Prize while in a Russian prison. Orlov is a well-known critic of the Russian regime. It was Memorial, the now-banned human rights organization that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Orlov was the leader of the organization. Photo: AP He was arrested after he wrote an article in which he criticized Russia for having plunged into fascism under President Vladimir Putin. Orlov sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for violating Russia’s armed forces. Mikhail Mikusjin He is charged with gross intelligence operations against Norway, when he worked as a guest researcher at the University of Tromsø. Mikusjin was arrested by the PST on his way to work in 2022. There he went under a false name and claimed to be a Brazilian citizen. Mikhail Mikusjin himself has admitted that he used a false identity in Norway. Now he is on his way to Russia. Alsu Kurmasheva The Russian-American journalist is also one of those who will now be on his way back to the USA, according to the New York Times. She worked for American Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was sentenced in December to 6.5 years in prison for spreading false information about the Russian armed forces. Photo: AP The verdict was based on Kurmasheva’s book about 40 Russians who are opposed to the war in Ukraine. Kurmasheva usually bid in Prague but was arrested when she was on a trip to her home town of Kaza in Russia. US President Joe Biden sings the birthday song for 13-year-old Miriam Butorin, Alsu Kurmasheva’s daughter. Paul Whelan On 28 December 2018, Paul Whelan was in Moscow to be a guest at a wedding. He was then arrested and charged with espionage. Two years later, he is sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage. Whelan denied criminal liability, and explained that he accepted a memory stick from a friend that was supposed to contain a holiday photo. Shortly after he accepted the memory stick, Russian police arrested him in the hotel room. Now he too is on his way to the USA after six years in a Russian prison. Photo: Sofia Sandurskaya / AP Published 01.08.2024, at 19.10 Updated 01.08.2024, at 19.36
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These are the prisoners who took part in the historic prisoner exchange – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
