On Thursday, in what was one of the largest and most intricate prisoner swaps in U.S. history, Russia released four Americans and twelve Germans.
Americans Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Evan Gershkovich were journalists, according to U.S. officials. Another individual who was released was Paul Whelan, a former Marine and current executive in corporate security. Rico Krieger, a German citizen who had been executed in Belarus, was among the emancipated prisoners. The nation also freed a number of Russian dissidents from prison.
Eight Russians, once jailed in five other nations, were transferred to Moscow in return. Vadim Krasikov, a Russian secret service colonel with ties to the Kremlin who was convicted in Germany in 2019 for the murder of a Chechen dissident, was the group’s most valuable asset for Russia.
President Joe Biden has scored a huge triumph with the accord, which has been brewing for over a year.
“Securing the release of Americans detained in Russia has been uniquely challenging” (Sullivan, national security adviser), according to reporters on Thursday. Sullivan made the comment in the context of the conflict against Ukraine and the overall erosion of our relations with Russia. “The release of these individuals could not have happened without an exchange involving Vadim Krasikov, as it became evident to the Russians.”
A senior administration official, who like others in this story was granted anonymity to speak freely about sensitive negotiations, said that the agreement was finalized many days before the president announced that he was leaving the ticket.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine and the conflict began, the United States and Russia have been at conflict. Sanctions were imposed on Russia by the Biden administration in an effort to limit the country’s capacity to continue its military war. Additionally, it has bolstered Kyiv with billions of dollars. Tensions were already high before the ongoing incarceration of Americans made them much worse.
Although it is a watershed moment, the prisoner deal does not herald a sea change in American policy toward Russia. There are seldom any political or foreign policy factors involved in hostage pacts or prisoner exchanges, especially when they involve the United States and Russia.
“I believe that we have demonstrated our willingness to engage with Russia to ensure that they are held responsible for their aggressive behavior on the global stage, especially in Ukraine, while simultaneously… striving to secure the release of American nationals that they are unjustly holding,” stated a second senior administration official. “I would proceed with caution in assuming that this signifies a significant improvement in the relationship” with Russia.
On Thursday, the Americans touched down in Ankara, Turkey, before boarding an aircraft to Washington.
A number of foreign inmates have gone missing from various Russian jails, and the Russian government has provided no explanation, leading to speculation that a swap is about to take place.
The Wall Street Journal’s 32-year-old Moscow correspondent, Gershkovich, has been a prominent prisoner since his arrest in March 2023 on charges of espionage while on a reporting assignment in Russia. The newspaper has been advocating for his release.
Kurmasheva, a 47-year-old Prague-based journalist for Radio Free Europe, was apprehended in October 2023, seven months subsequent, on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent. Kara-Murza was apprehended in 2022 for vehemently opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; she is a dual citizen of Russia and the United States. He writes for the opinion section of The Washington Post.
After two years, the United States has completed its third prisoner swap.
A Russian arms dealer named Viktor Bout was traded for WNBA star Brittney Griner in the most recent deal that took place in 2022. In the same year, American officials helped a Russian drug lord get former Marine Trevor Reed released from prison. Prior exchanges failed to result in the release of 54-year-old Whelan. In 2018, he was found guilty of espionage and sent to prison.
Roger Carstens, the State Department’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, spoke with Whelan over the phone following the announcement of her arrangement, as he told NBC in the weeks after Griner’s release. “I spent half an hour explaining what transpired over the phone,” Carestens explained. We only got one deal from the Russians, I told Paul. Ultimately, it came down to Brittney. No way could we save you from such situation.
The United States extended a second offer to Russia in exchange for Whelan’s release not long after Griner’s, but Moscow turned down the terms.
In the months that followed, Sullivan’s administration attempted to come up with a new kind of arrangement, one that would result in the release of numerous American prisoners held in Russian prisons.
Germany was in possession of several Russian spies. Sullivan first contacted his German counterparts in December 2022—the same month Griner was released—and again in April 2023 to ask if the Germans would consider freeing Russian detainees as we discussed in the contract.
For Putin and the United States, there was one man in particular: Krasikov.
Putin implied in an interview with Tucker Carlson earlier this year that the approval of Krasikov, whom he did not identify but called “a patriot,” would be necessary for a deal including Gershkovich.
One of the most renowned hitmen in Russia, Krasikov is a member of the most elite unit of the Federal Security Service (FSB). The decision to release him was hotly debated among high-ranking Washington authorities.
According to the top administration official, “Nobody’s turning a blind eye to his crimes and his connection to Russian intelligence services.” This obviously refers to Krasikov. “But listen, you’re going to have to make some difficult choices if you want to ensure the freedom of innocent people both here and abroad.”
Sullivan and the Biden administration had their greatest challenge in persuading the Germans to approve of his release.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz informed Vice President Joe Biden during his visit to Washington, DC, on February 10, 2024, that Germany was prepared to assist the United States with the deal.
