Murderer Krasikov and opposition figure Kara-Murza among 24 people exchanged between Russia and Western countries

Vladimir Kara-Murza. Vadim Krasikov. Collage by Novaya Gazeta Europe

A prisoner swap between Russia, the United States, Germany and three other countries began on Thursday 1 August. Among the 24 individuals involved in the exchange are opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is in prison in the Russian Federation, and Russian murderer Vadim Krasikov, who is serving his sentence in Germany. 

Source: CBS News, citing a source in the White House, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, US Marines veteran Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will reportedly return home as part of the deal.

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Russian opposition activist and Washington Post columnist Vladimir Kara-Murza is also expected to arrive in the US. Kara-Murza is a dual British-Russian citizen and holds a green card.

At least 12 political prisoners detained in Russia are expected to be handed over to Germany as part of the deal. Eight individuals will be sent to Russia, most of them suspected or convicted of having links to Russian intelligence.

Vadim Krasikov, a murderer who is serving a life sentence in Germany for the assassination of a Chechen warlord on orders from Russian federal authorities, is one of the Russian nationals set to be exchanged.

According to CBS News, the exchange deal was overseen by a number of US governmental institutions, including the White House, the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Background: 

• In recent days, the media have noticed signs of a potential major prisoner swap between several Western countries and Russia and Belarus. The United States, Germany, Slovenia and the United Kingdom were reported to be involved in this potential swap.
• The trial of a pair of spies from Russia ended yesterday in Slovenia, with media reporting that they would be exchanged.
• Self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko decided to pardon German citizen Rico Krieger, who had been sentenced to death for supposedly working for the “Ukrainian special services”. The reasons for the decision were not reported, but Krieger’s pardon is also linked to the prisoner swap.

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