Today, Thursday, indications have increased regarding a significant prisoner exchange operation between Russia and Belarus on one side, and the United States, Germany, and Slovenia on the other. However, there has not yet been an official confirmation regarding what could be the largest prisoner swap since the end of the Cold War.
Fox News reported that the return of Evan Gershkovich, a journalist from The Wall Street Journal, to the United States is planned as part of a prisoner exchange that may take place later today.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 revealed that a private Russian government aircraft, previously used in a past exchange operation between the United States and Russia, flew from Moscow to the Russian Kaliningrad region, which borders Poland and Lithuania, before returning to the Russian capital.
The Russian lawyers' group, Pervy Otdel, which specializes in cases involving treason allegations, noted that this flight may indicate a prisoner exchange carried out at the border with Poland.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, when asked about reports of an imminent large-scale prisoner exchange, stated, "I still cannot make any statements regarding this matter."
The Russian investigative agency Agence France-Presse reported that at least six private government planes have made trips in recent days to and from areas housing jails that hold opposition figures.
The largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War took place in 2010 and involved a total of 14 prisoners.
