German chancellor advocates prisoner swap with Russia as necessary to protect innocent lives
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The decision to exchange a convicted murderer and former FSB officer Vadim Krasikov was made to protect "the lives and health of innocent people imprisoned in Russia," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, commenting on the large-scale prisoner exchange, the Tagesschau reported on Aug. 2.
The German government had to consider the balance between carrying out the sentence and "the risk to the life and health of innocent people imprisoned in Russia or those who have been unjustly imprisoned for political reasons.”
"It was not an easy decision for anyone to deport a murderer sentenced to life imprisonment after he spent several years in jail," Scholz said.
The main deciding factor was “the obligation to protect German citizens and show solidarity with the United States.”
This follows an earlier report by Turkey's Anadolu Agency on Aug. 1 about the exchange of 26 prisoners from seven countries in a multilateral operation.
Prisoners from the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus participated in the exchange, Turkish news television NTV reported. Ten hostages, including two children, will go to Russia, 13 to Germany, and three to the United States, the journalists said.
The White House officially confirmed the prisoner swap with Russia on August 1. According to US President Joe Biden, three Americans and one green card holder will return home.
Russian outlet The Insider published a full list of prisoners released by Russia earlier.
They are:
- Evan Gershkovich
- Vladimir Kara-Murza
- Lilia Chanysheva
- Ilya Yashin
- Ksenia Fadeeva
- Andrei Pivovarov
- Paul Whelan
- Alsu Kurmasheva
- Oleg Orlov
- Aleksandra Skochilenko
- Demuri Voronin (Dieter Woronin)
- Kevin Lik
- Rico Krieger
- Patrick Schobel
- German Moyzhes
- Vadim Ostanin
Western countries agreed to return:
- Vadim Krasikov (from Germany)
- Artem Dultsev (from Slovenia)
- Anna Dultseva (from Slovenia)
- Mikhail Mikushin (from Norway)
- Pavel Rubtsov (from Poland)
- Roman Seleznev (from the United States)
- Vladislav Kliushin (from the United States)
- Vadim Konoshchenko (from the United States).
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