PoliticsRussian Federation
Historic prisoner swap between Russia and the West
August 3, 2024![German Chancellor Olaf Scholz awaits the arrival of Russian dissidents at Cologne/Bonn airport.](https://static.dw.com/image/69835131_800.webp)
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Prisoners exchanged between Russia, Belarus and several other Western countries have started to arrive in their home countries.
A total of 26 prisoners were released in the historic exchange, including Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan. German Rico Krieger, sentenced to death in Belarus, and Vadim Krasikov, a Russian national serving a life sentence in Germany, were also freed.