TALLINN, Estonia. The Kremlin has confirmed for the first time that some of the Russians released in the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War were intelligence operatives. This disclosure comes as families of freed dissidents express their elation over the unexpected release.
On Thursday night, journalists Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, along with former Marine Paul Whelan, were welcomed by their families and President Joe Biden at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Meanwhile, in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin greeted the returning Russians at Vnukovo Airport, offering them state awards and discussing their futures.
Among the eight Russians returning to Moscow was Vadim Krasikov, a Russian operative who had been serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 murder of a former Chechen fighter in Berlin. German authorities had stated that the assassination was carried out on orders from Russian officials. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed that Krasikov is an officer of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and once served in its special Alpha unit, which includes some of Putin’s bodyguards. Peskov emphasized Putin’s personal interest in Krasikov’s inclusion in the swap.
Peskov also confirmed that Artem Dultsov and Anna Dultsova, released from Slovenia, were undercover intelligence officers posing as Argentine expats. Arrested in 2022 on espionage charges, they used Ljubljana as their base since 2017 to communicate Moscow’s directives. Their two children, who joined them in the return to Moscow via Ankara, were unaware of their Russian identity and had no knowledge of Putin.
“That’s how illegals work, and that’s the sacrifices they make because of their dedication to their work,” Peskov said.
The historic swap, involving two dozen prisoners, was conducted despite the tense relations between Washington and Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow released 15 individuals, including Americans, Germans, and Russian dissidents, many of whom had been imprisoned on charges perceived as politically motivated. An additional German national was released by Belarus.
Among the dissidents released were Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Kremlin critic and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer serving a 25-year sentence on treason charges widely viewed as politically motivated; associates of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny; human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov; and Ilya Yashin, imprisoned for his criticism of the war in Ukraine. Their release was met with joy and surprise from supporters and families.
Tatyana Usmanova, wife of Andrei Pivovarov, an opposition activist released in the swap, expressed her joy on Facebook, saying, “God, it is such happiness! I cried so much when I found out. And later, too. And I’m about to cry again now, as well.” Pivovarov had been sentenced to four years in prison in 2021.
In a phone call to President Biden, Kara-Murza expressed his profound gratitude: “No word is strong enough for this. I don’t believe what’s happening. I still think I’m sleeping in my prison cell in Omsk instead of hearing your voice. But I just want you to know that you’ve done a wonderful thing by saving so many people,” he said in a video posted on X.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
