this destination outside of russia. this is a complex exchange. it does involve russian political prisoners being freed as well. that is the nature of prisoner swap as well as numerous russians who have been jailed in the west for espionage. we don't have details of them but we can confirm to you from the biden administration that this prisoner exchange with russia is expected to soon see the release of three americans we are hearing the wall streetjournal evan gershkovich, paul whelan and the russian american journalist. what we don't know yet though is about very well known kremlin opponents with the dual russian british citizenship, vladimir kara—mirza. there are expectations he could be released. this is just confirming expectations he could be released. this isjust confirming rumours expectations he could be released. this is just confirming rumours that we have heard for some time now and

they really got field, these rumours and speculations, when on sunday we heard that a number of high—profile russian political prisoners were reported missing from detention centres and from prisons throughout the country. we haven't heard from the country. we haven't heard from the kremlin yet. they are often very tight—lipped at moments like this. they don't you what is going on from their perspective. we now know from their perspective. we now know from the biden administration, from the white house, that this is under way. just looking through some of the things i am being sent here, some wire copy that is coming in with further details. the white house and state department were not immediately returning requests for comment but when asked about the movement of the russian prisoners on wednesday the state department spokesperson said they wouldn't speculate that they were working

around the clock to get wrongfully detained citizens home. that continues to be the case. we have no updates for you belong to that. let me 12 for a moment on the case of evan gershkovich, the wall street journal reporter, taken into russian custody while on assignment back in march of 2023. the russian authorities charged him with espionage. straightaway there was huge condemnation from the us government, huge concern from the wall streetjournal, who have been incredibly active in trying to secure his release, as well as his family as well and it is back in july that evan gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison by a russian court. the automatic response from the us and other countries was to call his trial which was incredibly hurried an absolute sham. many observers have linked the initial evan gershkovich

arrest with a policy that amounts to hostagetaking with a view to increasing pressure on western countries to release russian spies, is hackers and assassins as well, and what we are now seeing is this massive exchange of prisoners. it has been mooted for months. they have been many discussions taking place for a long time at a very high level behind closed doors involving numerous governments. we have had very few details that have come out into the public domain so lots of speculation but now there is confirmation coming to was from the biden administration that a prisoner exchange has been agreed with russia. just checking through all the new information we are getting at the moment. the one thing we are not entirely sure about is what is going to happen to vladimir kara—mirza. he is criminal opponent with dual russian— british

citizenship. he is one of those detainees whose whereabouts is unknown but there has been a lot of speculation that he could be released. just looking at the latest detail confirming for you that this massive prisoner swap is under way and to give you a bit more detail that i know about vladimir kara—mirza. he played a key role in persuading western governments to sanction russian officials for human rights abuses and corruption. arrested in moscow initially for disobeying a police officer and more serious charges were levelled at him once he was in custody. 0ne serious charges were levelled at him once he was in custody. one of the key speeches he made — it was incredibly influential, and he made it to politicians in the us, where he said russia was committing war crimes in ukraine with cluster bombs in residential areas and the bombing of maternity hospitals and schools. these are actually claims that have been independently documented and

deemed false by russian investigators who said the defence ministry did not permit use of banned means of conducting war. they insisted ukraine population was not a target. but deeply unhappy by these comments buy two and so he was arrested in moscow. we are waiting to hear what the fate of vladimir kara—mirza is at the moment. we do know from us officials that evan gershkovich, the wall streetjournal reporter — we can see pictures of him here — is one of those who has been freed in this massive prisoner swap. you may remember evan gershkovich was arrested in march of 2023. he was reporting in the city of yekaterinburg at the time. last month he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for espionage. he did plead not guilty. the wall street journal, who has championed him

fiercely throughout, and the us government as well, dismissed the charges as absolute nonsense. call them a sham. they will be absolutely delighted by this news today. we have heard that evan gershkovich has been released as part of this prisoner exchange. following all those developments for us, and not just today but through many months, is a eastern europe correspondent who was in berlin. much to touch on. first of all the big picture, this massive exchange taking place, not just between russia and the us but other countries as well, although we have had confirmation from the biden administration about these three high—profile americans. tell us what you're hearing and what you know. so you're hearing and what you know. sr far, if we are talking you're hearing and what you know. srs far, if we are talking about what is officially confirmed, we can say the white house has confirmed that, three american citizens will be released by russia and will be heading home to the united states.

those are extremely high profile names. you have been mentioning them. evan gershkovich, a journalist with the wall streetjournal, paul whelan, a former us marine, a man who was in russia on holiday in 2018 when he was arrested, and accused and then convicted of espionage, and anotherjournalist and then convicted of espionage, and another journalist who was arrested. a dual national who was arrested when she was visiting family back in russia. three us citizens. we have had it confirmed from the biden administration that they have agreed to a prisoner exchange with russia which will involve these three american citizens. the moment, as far as i know, that is all that has been officially confirmed anyone. this has come, as the first official announcement, after days of swirling rumours all some information, some facts and a lot of people with fingers firmly crossed. a lot of people too scared to speculate

because they are the relatives of people who have been mentioned as part of what we believe could be a very large prisoner swap with russia. that doesn'tjust involve these three american citizens who were in russia, in russianjails, but also a number of russian political prisoners who have been named. we are waiting for confirmation of that but certainly there are increasing signs that russian political prisoners will be released as part of this unprecedented prisoner exchange with the united states. we've not seen anything like this in modern russia. it is really quite extraordinary what we are seeing unfold. find it is really quite extraordinary what we are seeing unfold. and in terms of the _ what we are seeing unfold. and in terms of the rumour _ what we are seeing unfold. and in terms of the rumour and - what we are seeing unfold. and in i terms of the rumour and speculation in the past few days, what has added to that? some of these prisoners we no mysteriously went off the grid. that's how it started. there are many prisoners in russia as a result of increasing political oppression inning recent years in vladimir

putin's russia, many political opponents, and since the beginning of his full—scale invasion of ukraine. people who have criticised the war in ukraine have faced serious criminal charges, up to and including treason. vladimir kara—mirza, political opponents of putin, was arrested first of all on a lesser charge that has been serving a 25 year prison sentence for treason for condemning the war on ukraine. there are others. an artist has also been rumoured to be part of a looming prisoner exchange. she is an artist he went to a supermarket and change some of the price tags on the shelves there, took of the price tags and put on stickers, again criticising the war in ukraine. these people, and many others, are in prison serving long terms. essentially they disappeared from the prison system. their relatives or lawyers couldn't find them, couldn't confirm their whereabouts. remus then began to swell that something big was happening. we had been expecting a

prisoner swap involving the american citizens, at least two of them, for some time. negotiations have been going on for months and months but the involvement in rational political prisoners as well as something we have not seen before and it is something that, untiljust and it is something that, untiljust a few days ago, was hard to imagine. you mentioned how unprecedented this is. can we reflect on what an extraordinary moment this would be of rare political alignment between russia and its foes? it of rare political alignment between russia and its foes?— russia and its foes? it certainly shows that _ russia and its foes? it certainly shows that the _ russia and its foes? it certainly shows that the two _ russia and its foes? it certainly shows that the two foes - russia and its foes? it certainly shows that the two foes are - russia and its foes? it certainly - shows that the two foes are talking on an issue that really matters to both of them. i don't think what we should do now is suggest that this shows a sign of any kind of thaw in relations or any kind of thaw in the repressive policies of vladimir putin in russia today. this doesn't show his softening. he is getting back what he wants which we understand will be a number of key

members of the intelligence services. we certainly know that mr putin had been negotiating, his team had been negotiating for the release of a convicted assassin here in germany, in berlin, who has been held in prison after murdering a man in broad daylight here in central berlin. mr putin is negotiating for what mr putin wants and what he is giving back his people that he has had convicted in his court in russia of espionage. as far as concerned i think this is a good deal. as deal. as far as the us is concerned they are getting back citizens that they have been extremely worried about, in the case of paul whelan, for more than five years since he was arrested. than five years since he was arrested-— than five years since he was arrested. ~ ., , ., ., ,, ., arrested. what you make of the timin: of arrested. what you make of the timing of this? _ arrested. what you make of the timing of this? president - arrested. what you make of the timing of this? president putin | arrested. what you make of the i timing of this? president putin has known as a pragmatist. do you think you would want to do it under a biden administration, perhaps worried that if he was having to deal with president trump and his administration that this might not have happened? i administration that this might not have happened?— have happened? i think that's exactly right- _ have happened? i think that's exactly right. this _ have happened? i think that's exactly right. this is - have happened? i think that's exactly right. this is an - have happened? i think that's - exactly right. this is an extremely complex arrangement, a very complex deal. if it is what we are being led

to believe it is, very complex deal that involves multiple countries and many people. that has taken an awful long time to negotiate. if vladimir putin genuinely wanted back a number of russian intelligence agents from around the world then this was his best chance of achieving that. he knew that america wanted evan gershkovich. a new america wanted paul whelan and others and he had something to trade. i think this is pragmatic. i think it is a dealfor vladimir putin. remember this is a man who believes he is at war with the west and, as far as he is concerned, the russian dissidents in prison are enemies of russia. in a way this is a kind of wartime exchange for him. this is not an act of political thawing, it is not an act, a conservatory act, or an act of mercy. it is made in conditions of mercy. it is made in conditions of war between two countries, a political war if not a fighting war.

for the families of these prisoners it has been an agonising time and so many of them have campaigned really hard to try and see this day and make sure it happened. if we could just talk about one of these prisoners for a moment and you have mentioned him already, vladimir kara—mirza. i know you have had correspondence and interviewed his wife before. tell us what she has been so the family has been through. i don't know where there is confirmation that he is being released. he is certainly one of the names that has been mentioned. he is extremely high profile in terms of the political prisoners in russia. he is of course, he was convicted of treason, as i mentioned, for criticising the war in ukraine. he is certainly somebody who, his wife, has been fighting very hard to get released and he has been mentioned in connection with multiple attempts to free political prisoners. vladimir kara—mirza i know personally well. i have come to know his wife pretty well over the last

years. vladimir kara—mirza was poisoned twice, in 2015 and in 2017. he is a political activist, a political politician, an opposition politician. a man who has never made a secret of his open opposition to the policies of vladimir putin, and hit to his attempts to change russia to become a democratic, free society. he has been fighting for that peacefully for many years and despite being poisoned he returned to russia to try to continue that fight. he went back to russia after the beginning of the full—scale invasion of ukraine, saying that a russian politician's place was in his own country. that is where he was then arrested and charged eventually, ultimately, with treason, and was sentenced to 25 years. i have been speaking to his family over the last few days. they didn't want to make anything public just yet but i can tell you they are extremely nervous and not wanting to

jinx anything because getting back to home for them is so important. they haven't seen him for a very long time. he has children in the united states and people are desperate to see him home as well as the families of all the other people who have been mentioned as possible prisoners to be released in what we believe could be a massive exchange. you are absolutely right to not confirm. we don't know his whereabouts. one of the names loads of people will know that has been confirmed from the biden administration as evan gershkovich. tells a bit about the campaign to see him freed. he is a journalist, like me he was accredited to work in russia. i was expeued accredited to work in russia. i was expelled after the invasion of ukraine he was arrested and accused of espionage while he was doing his job as a journalist. he of espionage while he was doing his job as a journalist.— job as a “ournalist. he and his friends job as a journalist. he and his friends and _ job as a journalist. he and his friends and family _ job as a journalist. he and his friends and family and - job as a journalist. he and his - friends and family and newspaper and employer have always been adamant

that the charges against him as i