Impending Prisoner Exchange with Russia: Key Points

There are increasing indications of an impending prisoner exchange with Russia, involving Germans, Americans, and Russian opposition members. The exchange may include the release of the 'Tiergarten murderer' and other Russian citizens serving sentences in Western prisons.

The campaign to free Russian citizens has been highlighted by the recent death sentence of a German citizen in Belarus. The exchange is seen as a way to prevent further arbitrary arrests of Western citizens in Russia.

President Putin has made it clear that he wants the release of the 'Tiergarten murderer'. There are reports of the use of a special plane for the exchange, with some prisoners being transferred to Kaliningrad.

The mediation for the swap began last month in Turkey. The exchange is part of a Russian policy of hostage-taking to pressure Western countries.

This prisoner swap is one of the largest since the Cold War, involving the release of US journalist Evan Gershkovich and former US marine Paul Whelan, among others. The details of the exchange have been kept sensitive until it is complete.