INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The United States famously does not negotiate with terrorists
But it has shown willingness on multiple occasions to sit down with enemy states to negotiate the release of both American and foreign
nationals, even giving up people who threatened their own national security in return.This latest prisoner exchange, which includes a total
exchanged Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout
Basketball star Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was arrested in Moscow on drug trafficking charges for carrying e-cigarette
cartridges containing less than one gram of cannabis oil.Despite efforts from Washington to include former U.S
Marine Paul Whelan in the deal, Moscow did not release him until this year because they did not view Bout to be a valuable enough
prisoner.Viktor Bout (second from right) during the exchange for American basketball player Brittney Griner.FSB / TASSDespite efforts from
Washington to include former U.S
Marine Paul Whelan in the deal, Moscow did not release him because they did not view Bout to be a valuable enough prisoner.Prisoner swaps
took place regularly between the United States and the Soviet Union
Colonel Rudof Abel for American spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers on the Glienicker bridge linking East and West Germany.Library of
CongressTwenty-three years later, on the same bridge, the U.S
released four agents from Warsaw Pact countries in return for 23 Westerners jailed for espionage.In 2010, 10 Russian sleeper agents from
released by Russia was Sergei Skripal, a GRU colonel who worked as a double agent for British intelligence
After moving to Britain following his release, Skripal and his daughter Yulia survived an assassination attempt using a nerve agent
British authorities and an investigation by Bellingcat found the attack was carried out by Russian nationals
The Kremlin denies giving the order
The 2024 prisoner exchange is marked not only by its scale, but by the professions of the prisoners on both sides
While Russia historically handed over Western nationals, the people released this time are journalists, human rights defenders, democratic
people President Vladimir Putin welcomed back to Russia, in contrast, were spies, hackers, and even a hitman
Germans gave up Vadim Krasikov, who was given a life sentence in 2019 for assassinating a former Chechen rebel in central Berlin
Putin embraced Krasikov after he stepped on the tarmac.Upon arrival in the United States on Thursday night, Gershkovich told the media he
Nobody knows them publicly, they have various political beliefs, they are not all connected with Navalny supporters, who everyone knows
I would potentially like to see if we could do something about them as well
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