Russia and the West prepare for high-stakes prisoner exchange

The Mash channel on Telegram reports that a prisoner exchange between Russia and the West may take place on Thursday in Ankara. According to Bloomberg, "The Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich may be among those exchanged.

As Mash highlighted, two Russian government aircraft, a Tu-204-300 and a Lockheed C-1301-30 Hercules from the US Air Force based at NATO Ramstein in Germany, along with a commercial Dassault Falcon 7X from Oslo, are flying to Ankara from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.

Earlier, the Meduza channel reported that one exchange stage had already occurred. In Kaliningrad, Russia received two Russians convicted in Slovenia for espionage, Artiom and Anna Dulcewych, who used the names Ludwig Gisch and Maria Rosa Mayer Munos.

This was evidenced by a Russian aircraft, RA-61727, which arrived in Kaliningrad and then returned to Moscow.

Fox News reported that on Thursday, "The Wall Street Journal" correspondent Evan Gershkovich, sentenced in Russia to 16 years in prison for alleged espionage, is set to return to the United States.

Kremlin news agency RIA Novosti asked about Gershkovich’s potential exchange from the journalist's legal representative, Maria Korczagina, who refused to speak. "Unfortunately, I cannot provide any comments," Korczagina said.

According to Bloomberg, Gershkovich and another American, former soldier Paul Whelan, who were both sentenced to 16 years in prison in Russia, were released as part of the prisoner exchange.

Bloomberg wrote, "The men, jailed in Russia on espionage charges they and the US deny, are en route to destinations outside of Russia."

According to an EU official who wished to remain anonymous, the oppositionist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who holds Russian and British citizenship, is also set to regain his freedom.

On Wednesday, Balkan-based television N1 reported, citing anonymous sources, that a prisoner exchange involving Russia, the US, Germany, and Belarus might soon take place.