A major prisoner swap occurred between Russia and the West. Russia and Belarus released 16 prisoners, while America and its allies released eight. Among those, three Americans were exchanged, journalist Evan Gershovich.
Whelan, in particular, might very well have been a CIA asset. He was arrested shortly a month after Maria Butina in 2018, who pled guilty to acting as an agent of a foreign power. While she served her 18 month sentence and was released, Whelan was convicted of 16 years for espionage. ABC News says:
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan described the emotional scenes on “Good Morning America” on Friday morning, saying that working on the deal that brought the American prisoners home was one of the biggest honors of his life.
“It was such a human victory. Three innocent people reunited with their families, their loved ones. Getting to see that was just incredible,” Sullivan said. “But I think it was also a victory for our country. This was the United States of America at its best, working with our allies to bring our people home safe, also to help free freedom fighters. Russians who have fought for democracy and were thrown in prison. That was one of the most extraordinary honors of my life.”
Among Russians freed were a variety of spies, mostly hackers, hitmen, and smugglers. Others released by Russia include many Russian nationals who have been critical of the Putin regime. The NY Times reports:
The deal also freed, among others, a Russian hit man, Vadim Krasikov. He had been jailed in Germany since 2019 for the murder of a Chechen former separatist fighter in a park in Berlin. He was the prize most sought by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who had publicly praised the killing as an act of patriotism and for years had insisted that Mr. Krasikov be part of any swap.
The stunning deal took place against the geopolitical backdrop of the bloody war in Ukraine, where the United States is sending deadly weapons to the battlefront aimed at killing as many Russian troops as possible.
While deals such as these are important, they also incentivize Russia to declare and charge Westerns as spies. JD Vance suggested that Trump’s performance is causing Russia to clean house with the Biden Administration before Trump comes to office.
READ NEXT: How a Drug Lord Was Renditioned to America
