President Vladimir Putin welcomed Russian citizens who were detained abroad and returned to Russia following a high-profile prisoner exchange deal on Thursday night.
President Vladimir Putin welcomed Russian citizens who were detained abroad and returned to Russia following a high-profile prisoner exchange deal on Thursday night. The meeting took place at Vnukovo Airport, where Putin congratulated the returnees and announced that they would be nominated for state awards.
: Vladimir Putin met Russian citizens who were released as a result of the exchange At Vnukovo Airport. pic.twitter.com/OUka3KcGxe
— upuknews (@upuknews1)Addressing the returning individuals, Putin expressed his gratitude for their loyalty and service.
“First of all, I want to congratulate you all on your return to your homeland. Now I want to address those of you who are directly involved in military service. I want to thank you for your loyalty to the oath, your duty, and the homeland, which has never forgotten you for a minute – and here you are at home,” Putin said.
The event was attended by key figures including Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin, and Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov.
They're all free. All 11 people. It's just incredible.
Putin exchanged Russian political prisoners for his agents caught in Western countries. We're incredibly happy for them. For these 11 people, the nightmare of injustice, humiliation, and helplessness is finally over.
Putin… pic.twitter.com/7uIwAsOxza
The prisoner swap, mediated by Turkey, involved seven countries: the US, Norway, Germany, Poland, Russia, Belarus, and Slovenia.
Among the notable figures released was Vadim Krasikov, a Russian who was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 murder of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a former Chechen separatist leader.
The release of Krasikov was controversial, with German authorities initially reluctant to agree to his release. Reports indicate that US President Joe Biden personally intervened, contacting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to facilitate the deal.