Tuesday 06 Aug 2024 @ 13:10
Chatham House
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An illusion of mercy: Decoding Russia's prisoner swap strategy

EXPERT COMMENT

The prisoner exchange is a victory for diplomacy, but we should not assume that justice has prevailed.

On 1 August, Western countries and Russia conducted the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War. Through unprecedented international cooperation involving Germany, the US, Norway, Slovenia, Poland, and Turkey, it was possible to extract four Americans, five Germans, and seven Russians from Russian prisons, who were convicted on trumped-up charges in Russia and Belarus.

These were not only difficult negotiations but also a tough moral and ethical choice, which Russia deliberately imposed on the West. Although the prisoner exchange can rightly be considered a victory for diplomacy, we should not hastily declare that justice has prevailed. The Russian side held hostages to free their hitmen, spies, and hackers, while the West made a tough decision in favour of the freedom and lives of innocent people, not only their citizens but Russian nationals as well.

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Original article link: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/08/illusion-mercy-decoding-russias-prisoner-swap-strategy

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