The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US marine Paul Whelan, who were both jailed in Russia, just touched down in Turkey.
Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation (known as MIT) said that it “conducted the most extensive prisoner exchange operation of recent times,” on the tarmac in Ankara, exchanging 26 different people held in seven different countries: the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus.
One official called it the ‘biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War.’
UPDATE: The planes are in the air. The WSJ felt safe to finally comment, saying:
‘Today is a joyous day for the safe return of our colleague Evan Gershkovich, who left a Russian aircraft moments ago in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, as part of a prisoner swap with Russia.’