These were released in the significant prisoner exchange between Russia and the West: journalist Evan Gershkovich and opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Mursa, but also the Tiergarten murderer Vadim Krasikow.

DLNews World at War:

Explosive prisoner exchange between Russia, the USA and several European countries!

On Thursday, several Russian opposition figures, journalists and other Western citizens who Putin's regime had held on flimsy charges were finally released.

The journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg in March 2023

They were exchanged for the so-called Tiergarten murderer, Vadim Krasikow, who was convicted in Germany, but also for Russian cyber criminals and Kremlin spies.

According to the Turkish presidential office, a total of 26 people are involved in the largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War. The exchange took place at Ankara airport. 13 people were brought to Germany, three to the USA, and 10 people - including two minors - to Russia in return.

We show some of those who were released in today's prisoner exchange:

Evan Gershkovich, journalist The "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich (32) was arrested on March 29, 2023, in Yekaterinburg during a research trip. It was the first time since the Cold War that a journalist working for an American media outlet was imprisoned for espionage in Russia. On July 19, 2024, Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison in a sham trial.

Paul Whelan has been in a Russian prison since 2018.

Paul Whelan, Canadian American ex-soldier

The Canadian-born former US Marine Paul Whelan (54) was arrested in Russia on December 28, 2018, and was officially accused of espionage. Whelan, who has Canadian, American, British and Irish citizenship, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on June 15, 2020.

Vladimir Kara-Mursa was sentenced to 25 years in a penal colony.

Vladimir Kara-Mursa, politician and journalist

The Russian-British journalist and politician Vladimir Kara-Mursa (42) is one of the most bitter critics of the Kremlin. After two alleged poisonings by the Russian domestic secret service FSB (2015, 2017), he was arrested by the police in front of his home in Moscow on April 11, 2022, and sentenced to 15 years in prison in an expedited trial the following day. On April 22, 2022, he was classified as a foreign agent in Russia.

On April 17, 2023, Kara-Mursa was sentenced to 25 years in a penal colony for high treason for his public criticism of the Ukraine war. In June 2024, he was transferred to a Siberian penal colony.

Ilya Yashin has been in a Russian jail since 2022.

Ilya Yashin, a Russian opposition figure

The Russian-British journalist and politician Vladimir Kara-Mursa (42) is one of the most bitter critics of the Kremlin. After two alleged poisonings by the Russian domestic secret service FSB (2015, 2017), he was arrested by the police in front of his home in Moscow on April 11, 2022, and sentenced to 15 days in prison in an expedited trial the following day. On April 22, 2022, he was classified as a foreign agent in Russia.

The German paramedic Rico K. (30) was disgustingly paraded on television by the Lukashenko regime on Friday after he was sentenced to death in Belarus. He was accused of "terrorism" and membership in an "extremist group." Then, on Tuesday, there was a turning point: Lukashenko pardoned him - and now he is free again!

The Belarusian regime poorly treated Rico K. - he was initially sentenced to death.

Vadim Krasikow, the Tiergarten murderer

The most valuable prisoner on the German or Western side of Russia is Vadim Krasikow (58). The so-called Tiergarten murderer traveled to Berlin in 2019 under the code name Vadim Sokolow.

Vadim Krasikow will be back in Russia after the prisoner exchange.

On August 23, 2019, he shot the Chechen-Georgian rebel commander Selimchan Changoschwili in the so-called Tiergarten murder on the orders of the Kremlin. Krasikow was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder by the Berlin Regional Court. He will now be accessible in Russia.

The following were also exchanged from the Russian side:

Also, Kurmasheva (47), a Russian-American journalist, was sentenced to six and a half years

Kevin Lik (19): Russian-German student, four years in a penal colony

Liliya Chanysheva (42): opposition politician, former companion of Alexei Navalny, seven and a half years in prison

Ksenia Fadeeva (32): Russian opposition figure, nine years in prison

Alexandra Skochilenko (33): Russian artist, musician and activist who spent seven years in a penal colony

Oleg Orlov (71): Russian human rights activist who spent two and a half years in a penal colony

Andrei Pivovarov (42): Russian political activist, four years in prison

Vadim Ostanin (47): former head of Alexei Navalny's anti-corruption foundation, nine years in prison

German Moyzhes: German-Russian Jewish lawyer in custody since May 2024

Demuri Voronin: German-Russian scientist, 13 years and three months in a high-security penal colony

Patrick S. (38): German tourist, currently in custody

The following were also exchanged from the western side:

Vadim Konoshchenok: Russian smuggler on behalf of the FSB, exchanged by the USA

Vladislav Klyushin: businessman with Kremlin connections, exchanged by the USA

Roman Seleznev: Russian hacker exchanged by the USA

Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva: Russian spies exchanged by Slovenia

Mikhail Mikushin: Russian spy exchanged by Norway

Pavel Rubtsov: Russian spy for the military secret service, exchanged by Poland

plus two minors.