Moscow/Ankara: Jailed Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan were among 26 prisoners from the United States, Russia, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Belarus who were freed in a major East-West swap on Thursday, Turkey’s presidency said.
According to the report, 10 prisoners, including two minors, were transferred to Russia, 13 to Germany and three to the United States.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich sits in a glass defendants’ booth in a Russian court in June.Credit: AP
Turkish intelligence had announced it was coordinating a wide-ranging prisoner swap, amid signs of a major exchange between Russia and Belarus on the one hand and Western countries including the United States and Germany on the other.
“Our organization has taken on a significant mediation role in this exchange operation, which is the most comprehensive in recent memory,” the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) said in a statement.
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