Turkish intelligence announced Thursday that it had coordinated the largest prisoner exchange operation in recent times between seven countries, including the United States and Russia, which included 26 prisoners.

Security sources told the Turkish Anadolu Agency that the operation included the release of Wall Street Journal correspondent Ivan Gershkovich and former US Marine Paul Whelan, noting that 10 hostages were transferred within the scope of the operation, including two children to Russia, 13 hostages to Germany, and 3 hostages to the United States.

The same sources added that the prisoners also came from prisons in Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Belarus, while the Turkish presidency confirmed that the operation included the release of Russian citizen Vadim Krasikov, who was imprisoned in Germany, German Rico Krieger, who was imprisoned in Belarus, and Russian oppositionist Ilya Yashin.

This is the first prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the exchange of American basketball star
Brittney Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in December 2022, and is also the largest since 2010, when 14 alleged spies were exchanged between Russia and the West.

Source: Qatar News Agency