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Russian government plane lands in Turkish capital amid signs of major prisoner exchange

Almost Heaven

Almost Heaven

Well-known
A Russian government plane landed in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, a Reuters witness said, shortly after the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT) said it was coordinating an extensive prisoner swap. It was not clear who was on board the plane, which arrived following signs of a major prisoner exchange involving Russia and Belarus on one side and the United States, Germany and Slovenia on the other.
(Reuters)

www.ynetnews.com

ynetnews - Breaking News from Israel

Breaking news headlines from Israel, the Middle East and Jewry ranging from Israeli Politics and Terrorism through Palestinian Affairs, Business and Culture.
www.ynetnews.com www.ynetnews.com
 

Russia Releases Evan Gershkovich And Paul Whelan In Massive 26-Person Prisoner Swap​

The prisoner swap was reportedly completed in Ankara, Turkey, and included 24 adults and two children: 10 people—including the two children—were transferred to Russia, 13 were transferred to Germany and three were released to the U.S., CNN reported, citing Turkish authorities.

Gershkovich and Whelan were among the detainees released by Russia, in addition to Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison last month, according to The New York Times, which cited an unnamed Turkish official.
Other detainees released by Russia include dissident Ilya Yashin and Russian-British activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, according to the Times and Bloomberg.
German authorities released Vadim Krasikov, a Russian man convicted in Germany for a “state-ordered- murder” in 2019, who Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to as a “patriot,” the Times reported.
Russia handed both Whelan and Gerskhovich 16 year jail sentences for spying in 2020 and last month, respectively, with both men denying the charges and being designated as wrongly detained by the U.S. State Department—while Kara-Murza was sentenced to a record 25 years in prison on treason and other charges last year.

MSN

www.msn.com
 
To my way of thinking, it's a double win for Russia. Putin sees a possibility for Trump to win in November, so he gets back his jailed assassins/criminals that the west has caught. He also gives the Biden regime a chance to prove that they can actually do something just before the election, and look like they've been effective at something. We don't know what else the puppet masters behind our faux president have given away behind the scenes to get this done.

Either way, the American public loses. But I am glad for the prisoners who are getting to come back home.
 
Things are REALLY weird out of Russia right now. I just listened to my Russian ex pat - first half hour of his YTube today Putin Has Lost - Peace In Ukraine Is Coming

and he was tying this prisoner exchange to behind the scenes peace negotiations regarding Ukraine. He explains why but I'm still not sure if he's right on this one.

He's talking about Russian economic woes interfering with their arms shipments from China (N.Korea), Iran and Turkey so that is really interesting if it's true.

VERY VERY strange.


FWIW if anyone wants to see actual footage released from the KGB showing their guys coming home, Konstantin includes it in his YTube video I gave the link to.
 
mattfivefour said:
There's clearly a lot more going on than a mere prisoner swap.
Click to expand...
A LOT!!!

Konstantin (or Constantin) of Inside Russia has some things to say about stuff he's observing within Russia economically.

It may be Putin getting the wind up about Trump coming into power again as @Work4Peanuts said above -and Konstantin mentions.

AND OR

sheer economics- Russia can't afford to kill Ukrainians- the Americans have outspent them in Ukraine which is what Konstantin thinks. The latest round of F16s did Putin in if Konstantin is right.

This is one of my times when I'm very skeptical of Konstantin's info even if he's right about the prisoner exchange. If he's right it's huge. If he's fallen for info that turns out to be disinformation from Putin's back room boys then it might be nothing.

But something is happening behind the curtains in Moscow and Washington.

In Konstantin's favour is the fact that this is exactly how Russia fell to the west in the Gorbachev years when Reagan's Star Wars outspent them and destroyed the Russian economy.

Putin was a lower level KGB officer working in East Germany at the time and he vowed to never ever let it happen to Russia again.
 
I THINK it's tied to the delivery of the F-16s into Ukraine

apnews.com

One of the F-16s helping Ukraine fight Russia has crashed. Here’s what to know about their role

One of the handful of F-16 warplanes that Ukraine has received from its Western partners to help fight Russia’s invasion has crashed while countering a Russian barrage, killing the pilot.
apnews.com apnews.com

about 16 hours ago.

That has probably got Putin's attention along with the fact that Trump appears likely to win unless there is even wider spread cheating on a Nicaraguan scale within the American election this fall.

Because the F16s can carry nukes, Russian thinking would probably go towards the likely possibility that they couldn't get away with suitcase nukes or Neutron bombs in Ukraine. The tide of war has shifted.

IF that is really what is happening.
 
More on this

I normally don't like to use Zero Hedge- but this time I thought I might because they did a great job reporting on this exchange here: Russian Assassin Vadim Krasikov Walks Free As Part Of Historic Prisoner Swap With US | ZeroHedge

Including the full text of Trump's comments on X within the article. That alone is pure gold. Here it is:

"So when are they going to release the details of the prisoner swap with Russia? How many people do we get versus them? Are we also paying them cash? Are they giving us cash (Please withdraw that question, because I’m sure the answer is NO)? Are we releasing murderers, killers, or thugs? Just curious because we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps. Our “negotiators” are always an embarrassment to us! I got back many hostages, and gave the opposing Country NOTHING – and never any cash. To do so is bad precedent for the future. That’s the way it should be, or this situation will get worse and worse. They are extorting the United States of America. They’re calling the trade “complex” – That’s so nobody can figure out how bad it is!"

And the foolish dig at Trump that Biden made - unaware that one of the prisoners he said Trump didn't bring home was captured during BIDEN'S time in office.

from the article:
"Gershkovich's employer, The Wall Street Journal, confirmed the following brief details of all who were included in the swap:

  • Gershkovich was handed over to U.S. authorities at an airport in Ankara, Turkey, and was set to board a plane to the U.S. Russia had kept the 32-year-old behind bars for more than a year on a false allegation of espionage.
  • Former Marine Paul Whelan was also released, as well as journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a British-Russian dissident. Russia also released a number of political dissidents.
  • The key to the prisoner deal was freeing Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, convicted of murder in Germany after he gunned down a rebel leader in Berlin in 2019. Germany said its decision to release him wasn’t taken lightly."
THAT LAST SENTENCE PROVES TRUMP RIGHT when he said

"Are we releasing murderers, killers, or thugs? Just curious because we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps. Our “negotiators” are always an embarrassment to us! I got back many hostages, and gave the opposing Country NOTHING – and never any cash. To do so is bad precedent for the future. That’s the way it should be, or this situation will get worse and worse. They are extorting the United States of America. They’re calling the trade “complex” – That’s so nobody can figure out how bad it is!"



AND then Zero Hedge also reports another troubling "coincidence" here: Russia Holds 3rd Phase Of Tactical Nuclear Drills Same Day Ukraine Receives First F-16s | ZeroHedge

In which Russia holds the 3rd phase nuke drills on the same day as Ukraine gets their first F-16s. While the prisoner exchange is going on.

"In total Ukraine is expecting at least 79 F-16s to be sent after a more than year long Ukrainian pilot training program. The jets are being transferred from the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Norway. Ukraine still plans to house many of the jets at allied bases outside the war-ravaged country, to prevent them from being immediately attacked by Russian forces.

This week has seen another important development and confirmation - the US plans to provide and equip the F-16s with advanced weaponry and modern missiles.

Per reporting in the The Wall Street Journal, this will include air-to-ground AGM-88 HARM missiles, bomb sights, diameter bombs, AMRAAM advanced air-to-air missiles, and AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missiles."

In other words probably Trump is right, this is a badly negotiated deal, giving away the highest value prisoners held in the west for lower value and lower numbers.

And this exchange doesn't signal the start of peace like Konstantin hopes, but rather is a Russian shell game distracting Biden and the State Dept with an exchange.

The reality is:

1: that Ukraine will house these jets at "allied bases" - likely NATO bases, which means Russia will want to attack a NATO base. Looks like NATO is daring them to.

2: The US (along with NATO) continue to escalate towards war by providing and equipping the F-16s with advanced weapons and modern missiles, something Russia has said all along it won't tolerate.

and
3: Russia continues to explore the nuclear options available to them as their other options disappear.
 
Perhaps God is turning him back.
If so, this will only last as long as God allows, and then places hooks in jaws.

It could also be a delaying tactic to allow President Putin time to resupply, redeploy, and then continue [sigh]

I still think everyone is underestimating USSR. Where are their professional Soldiers? We still haven't seen them.
 
Ghoti Ichthus said:
Perhaps God is turning him back.
If so, this will only last as long as God allows, and then places hooks in jaws.

It could also be a delaying tactic to allow President Putin time to resupply, redeploy, and then continue [sigh]

I still think everyone is underestimating USSR. Where are their professional Soldiers? We still haven't seen them.
Click to expand...
I agree. When there is peace in Ukraine Putin can turn his head against Israel.

Wow.
 
Interesting analysis of the swap:

Free at Last, but Tinged With Trepidation​

As joyous as the return is of unjustly imprisoned Americans, it is tinged with trepidation. Because of the foreign policy weakness Biden has displayed, he has set a precedent for hostile foreign nations to take advantage of the U.S. Need a murderer released? Kidnap and imprison an American or two. This will keep happening if we don’t have an administration that is willing to make our foreign adversaries pay a steep price.

There have to be actual consequences when Russia imprisons American citizens with impunity. When Gershkovich was taken, no Russians were arrested in retaliation, and no Russian journalists or diplomats were expelled.

As the WSJ editors note, “Our reporter is finally free, but he won’t be the last American taken if U.S. policy doesn’t change.” Deterrence is the only way to stop a bad actor.

patriotpost.us

Free at Last, but Tinged With Trepidation

Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich were released in a prisoner swap, but Biden's weakness has set a dangerous precedent.
patriotpost.us
 
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