The United States and Russia have completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free, according to officials in Turkey, where the exchange took place.

The prisoner exchange followed years of secretive back-channel negotiations. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris joined the families of Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington to welcome them back to U.S. soil.

As part of the deal, Russian security service hitman Vadim Krasikov has been freed by Germany.
There has been days of speculation about a major swap between Russia and Western countries, which was heightened after several prisoners were moved from their prison cells in Russian jails to unknown locations.

US journalist Evan Gershkovich had been sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony after being convicted on espionage charges.

Paul Whelan, 54, was given a 16-year jail sentence in 2020 after being arrested in Moscow on suspicion of spying in 2018.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg.

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