The United States and Russia completed a 24-person prisoner swap on Thursday, the largest in history since the collapse of the Soviet Union, as Moscow released Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Wall Street Journalist Paul Whelan. United States Marine Corps.

Prisoners from the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Belarus and Russia have been exchanged in this agreement with the participation of the Turkish intelligence agency MIT, according to the Turkish presidency.

For its part, Russia has repatriated Russian citizens who were detained in the United States, Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland.

President Joe Biden on Thursday praised US allies who took part in the prisoner exchange, saying they took “brave decisions”.

The Russian presidency said that Russian President Vladimir Putin pardoned 12 prisoners, including three Americans, which it said was a step to return Russian prisoners held abroad.