The biggest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West since the Cold War has taken place. Twenty-six people were exchanged, 24 of them prisoners, along with two minors.

Five of them come from Russia and three from the US: Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsu Kurmasheva. Some of them are virtually or completely unknown to the public, while some had their cases reported on comprehensively in media.

One of these is Evan Gershkovich, correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. Gershkovich had been sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony just weeks ago. His story began last spring.

Russia's war in Ukraine had been going on for about a year when Evan Gershkovich arrived in Yekaterinburg, in the foothills of the Ural Mountains, on March 29, 2023. He was there to research a story about the infamous Wagner Group and their recruitment methods — and potentially to find out what Russians think about the mercenary fighting unit.

Yekaterinburg is also the headquarters of Uralvagonzavod, a large Russian defense company that, among other things, makes tanks for use in Ukraine. Could this have been the reason for Gershkovich being there, of all places, some 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles) east of Moscow? The answer is unclear. What is clear, however, is that visiting the city sealed his fate.

Russian security forces detained Gershkovich and accused him of spying for the US. They alleged he had been sent by the CIA to gather confidential information about the manufacturing and repair of military equipment. His arrest marked the first time since the end of the Cold War that Russia detained a US journalist.

Gershkovich was transferred to the infamous Lefortovo prison in........

© Deutsche Welle