According to Turkish intelligence, a historic 26-person prisoner swap is being coordinated between Russia, the United States, and several other nations.
As part of this exchange, at least two Americans are set to be released, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan.
The Turkish president’s office confirmed that 10 prisoners, including two minors, have been transferred to Russia, 13 to Germany, and three to the United States.
Flight tracking data revealed that a Russian government plane used in a previous prisoner swap between the United States and Russia had flown from Moscow to Kaliningrad before returning to Moscow.
Gershkovich and Whelan, who were accused of espionage by Russia, were among those imprisoned under questionable circumstances.
This prisoner swap involves a total of 26 individuals between the United States, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Slovenia on one side, and Russia and Belarus on the other, with Turkey serving as an intermediary.
Russia is expected to receive eight of its own prisoners back, including individuals with connections to Russian intelligence like Vadim Krasikov, convicted of a 2019 murder in Germany linked to Russian authorities.
Vinnik’s case is tied to Bitcoin transactions for the Russian hacking group Fancy Bear, believed to be connected to Russia’s military intelligence and responsible for cyber attacks on the Democratic National Committee and Ukrainian military.
Russian state media reported that Vinnik and three other Russians jailed in the US disappeared from the Federal Bureau of Prisons database.
The four Russians involved, including Maxim Marchenko, Vadim Konoshchenok, and Vladislav Klyushin, were implicated in various criminal activities such as money laundering, procurement of military equipment, and hacking.
This report includes contributions from Reuters and The Associated Press.
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