Turkey is coordinating an extensive prisoner swap between Russia and Belarus on one side and the United States, Germany and Slovenia on the other. US reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US marine Paul Whelan are among 26 prisoners released.

US-Russia prisoner swap: Three feed Americans land on US soil

The Kremlin on Friday (Aug 2) said that Vadim Krasikov, freed by Germany in Thursday's prisoner swap deal with the West, is an operative with Russia's FSB security service.

The Kremlin on Friday (Aug 2) said that Vadim Krasikov, freed by Germany in Thursday's prisoner swap deal with the West, is an operative with Russia's FSB security service. Addressing a press conference, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "Krasikov is an FSB employee." Peskov added that Krasikov served with FSB's elite and secretive Alpha unit. Krasikov "served with some of the people working in the president's security detail," Peskov further told reporters. According to a report by the news agency AFP, an investigation by investigative journalism group Bellingcat revealed that Krasikov had links to the FSB. However, Friday's admission (by the Kremlin) was the first time Moscow has publicly confirmed he was an FSB agent. A life sentence in Germany Krasikov was serving a life sentence in Germany for the murder of a Chechen rebel commander in a Berlin park in 2019 — an assassination that German judges said was ordered by the Russian state. Also read | Freed Americans return home following historic prisoner swap; Biden, Harris greet them at airport The rebel commander was identified as Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, who had taken up arms against the Russian state in the early 1990s but since forsworn the armed Chechen independence struggle. On Thursday (Aug 1), Krasikov and nine other Russians were freed in the historic prisoner exchange that saw Moscow release American citizens including Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva, along with a host of Russian dissidents and activists. Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the return of the Russian prisoners by saying the motherland never forgot about them. Germany played a key role in Thursday's prisoner swap between Moscow and the West. Relatives of Krasikov's victim slam his release Relatives of Khangoshvili voiced disappointment in Krasikov's release from prison. In a statement released by their lawyer, the Chechen rebel commander's relatives said, "On one hand we are glad that lives have been saved. But we are very disappointed that there are apparently no laws even in countries that put the rule of law on a pedestal." Also watch | 26 prisoners released in landmark exchange at Ankara airport × Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the decision had been difficult but necessary to save lives, a view echoed by Justice Minister Marco Buschman. (With inputs from agencies)

East-West prisoner swap: Kremlin says Vadim Krasikov, freed by Germany, is FSB operative

President Vladimir Putin has renewed an offer to swap prisoners as he is holding his first summit Wednesday with Joe Biden, who has come under growing pressure to win the release of Americans from Russian jails.

Biden, who has vowed a clear-eyed, tougher approach with Putin than his predecessors at the start of their terms, has already made clear that he will raise the fate of jailed Americans when he meets the Russian leader in Geneva.

Here are some of the individuals who could be freed if such a swap was agreed upon.

PAUL WHELAN, 51

Washington has demanded the release of Paul Whelan, a former US&nbsp;Marine convicted of espionage last June and sentenced to 16 years in jail. Whelan has denied spying and says he was set up in a sting operation.

Moscow said that Whelan, who holds US, British, Canadian, and Irish passports, had been caught red-handed with classified information in a Moscow hotel room where agents from the Federal Security Service detained him on Dec. 28, 2018.

Whelan said he was in Russia for a wedding and on holiday and set up by a Russian man he thought was a friend.

Whelan, who is being held in a high-security prison eight hours drive from Moscow, denounced the proceedings against him last June as a "sham trial". Russia has sent mixed signals as to whether it would be ready to free him in a deal.

TREVOR REED, 29

The United States has criticised the trial of Trevor Reed, another former US&nbsp;Marine jailed for nine years last July, as the "theater of the absurd" and lacking serious evidence.

Russia convicted Reed, a student at the University of North Texas, of endangering the lives of two police officers who had detained him in August 2019 when he grabbed an officer who was behind the wheel of a car, causing the vehicle to swerve dangerously.

Reed said he could not remember the events because he was drunk when detained after leaving a party in Moscow, but denied the charge in court after hearing what he said was the flimsy evidence presented during the trial and the investigation's failure to obtain video evidence that could prove his innocence.

In comments which upset his family, Putin, in an NBC interview before the summit, described Reed as "a drunk" and "a troublemaker."

"As they say here, he got himself shitfaced and started a fight. Among other things, he hit a cop," said Putin.

VIKTOR BOUT, 54

The United States is holding Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year prison sentence for plotting to sell missiles to people he thought were Colombian rebels.

Bout, subject of a book called “Merchant of Death” and inspiration for a film “Lord of War” starring Nicolas Cage, was arrested in Thailand in 2008.

US&nbsp;authorities said he had agreed to sell arms to US&nbsp;undercover agents posing as Colombian guerrillas planning to attack American soldiers.

Bout, who protested his innocence, was convicted in 2011 and Russia has long sought his release.

He is now in a prison in Marion, Illinois, and only eligible for release in January 2030.

KONSTANTIN YAROSHENKO, 52

Russia has long urged Washington to release pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving 20 years in the United States for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the country. He was arrested in Liberia in 2010 in a DEA sting operation and flown to the United States.

Moscow has portrayed Yaroshenko, who says he is innocent, as the victim of an illegal kidnapping by Washington.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in 2019 called for Yaroshenko to be freed in exchange for "an American or Americans who are serving their sentence here."

Putin, in his pre-summit NBC interview, mentioned Yaroshenko.

"Our pilot Yaroshenko has been in prison in the US&nbsp;for ... I don't know how many years,&nbsp;15, maybe&nbsp;20&nbsp;years. And there also the problem seems to be a common crime. If the US&nbsp;side is prepared to discuss it, so are we."

(With inputs from agencies)

President Vladimir Putin has renewed an offer to swap prisoners as he is holding his first summit Wednesday with Joe Biden, who has come under growing pressure to win the release of Americans from Russian jails.

President Vladimir Putin has renewed an offer to swap prisoners as he is holding his first summit Wednesday with Joe Biden, who has come under growing pressure to win the release of Americans from Russian jails. Biden, who has vowed a clear-eyed, tougher approach with Putin than his predecessors at the start of their terms, has already made clear that he will raise the fate of jailed Americans when he meets the Russian leader in Geneva. Here are some of the individuals who could be freed if such a swap was agreed upon. PAUL WHELAN, 51 Washington has demanded the release of Paul Whelan, a former US Marine convicted of espionage last June and sentenced to 16 years in jail. Whelan has denied spying and says he was set up in a sting operation. Moscow said that Whelan, who holds US, British, Canadian, and Irish passports, had been caught red-handed with classified information in a Moscow hotel room where agents from the Federal Security Service detained him on Dec. 28, 2018. Whelan said he was in Russia for a wedding and on holiday and set up by a Russian man he thought was a friend. Whelan, who is being held in a high-security prison eight hours drive from Moscow, denounced the proceedings against him last June as a "sham trial". Russia has sent mixed signals as to whether it would be ready to free him in a deal. TREVOR REED, 29 The United States has criticised the trial of Trevor Reed, another former US Marine jailed for nine years last July, as the "theater of the absurd" and lacking serious evidence. Russia convicted Reed, a student at the University of North Texas, of endangering the lives of two police officers who had detained him in August 2019 when he grabbed an officer who was behind the wheel of a car, causing the vehicle to swerve dangerously. Reed said he could not remember the events because he was drunk when detained after leaving a party in Moscow, but denied the charge in court after hearing what he said was the flimsy evidence presented during the trial and the investigation's failure to obtain video evidence that could prove his innocence. In comments which upset his family, Putin, in an NBC interview before the summit, described Reed as "a drunk" and "a troublemaker." "As they say here, he got himself shitfaced and started a fight. Among other things, he hit a cop," said Putin. VIKTOR BOUT, 54 The United States is holding Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year prison sentence for plotting to sell missiles to people he thought were Colombian rebels. Bout, subject of a book called “Merchant of Death” and inspiration for a film “Lord of War” starring Nicolas Cage, was arrested in Thailand in 2008. US authorities said he had agreed to sell arms to US undercover agents posing as Colombian guerrillas planning to attack American soldiers. Bout, who protested his innocence, was convicted in 2011 and Russia has long sought his release. He is now in a prison in Marion, Illinois, and only eligible for release in January 2030. KONSTANTIN YAROSHENKO, 52 Russia has long urged Washington to release pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving 20 years in the United States for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the country. He was arrested in Liberia in 2010 in a DEA sting operation and flown to the United States. Moscow has portrayed Yaroshenko, who says he is innocent, as the victim of an illegal kidnapping by Washington. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in 2019 called for Yaroshenko to be freed in exchange for "an American or Americans who are serving their sentence here." Putin, in his pre-summit NBC interview, mentioned Yaroshenko. "Our pilot Yaroshenko has been in prison in the US for ... I don't know how many years, 15, maybe 20 years. And there also the problem seems to be a common crime. If the US side is prepared to discuss it, so are we." (With inputs from agencies)

These prisoners are likely to walk free if Biden-Putin agree exchange deal