Three US citizens freed in a Russian-West prisoner swap are back on American soil after landing in Maryland. Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and Alsu Kurmasheva were greeted by US President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris and reunited with their families. Biden thanked his allies - especially Germany - who he said made the "toughest call" to release the prisoners. The deal frees 24 detainees from seven countries. Ten people, including two minors, were relocated to Russia. It had been more than 18 months in the making and is believed to have hinged on Moscow's demand for the return of hitman Vadim Krasikov, who was serving a life sentence in Germany - BBC
Krasikov had been jailed in Germany since 2019 for the murder of a Chechen former separatist fighter in a park in Berlin. He was the prize most sought by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who had publicly praised the killing as an act of patriotism and for years had insisted that Mr. Krasikov be part of any swap - NYT
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Turkey played a key role in the massive prisoner swap, not least of which was arranging the swap logistics on the ground in Ankara involving seven aircraft and coordinating seven governments. The chief of the Turkish spy agency, MIT, is said to have played a crucial role. Ankara’s role underlined Turkey’s role geographically and geopolitically: it was also a reminder of the central role President Erdogen can play to communicate between East and West. As I’ve said many times on air, Erdogan is one of the few world leaders who has Russian President Vladimir Putin on speed dial. It’s worth remembering that Turkey hosted peace talks early on in the war and helped broker the Black Sea grain initiative
NATO, Ukraine to Meet Tuesday Over Russian Missile Strike
Speaking from the White House before the hostages took off for their respective day, Biden took an apparent dig at Donald Trump by reminding the world that “allies matter.” He said Germany played a very central role and made extraordinary concessions. “The deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship,” Biden said. He praised America’s allies, saying that “they stood with us, and they made bold and brave decisions, released prisoners being held in their countries.” Later, Biden added: "The toughest call on this one is for other countries. Because I asked them to do something that was against their immediate self-interest. Really difficult for them to do. Particularly Germany and Slovenia."
The exchange was made against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine. However it’s hard to believe the diplomacy involved will bring peace any closer. In fact overnight Russia struck targets in Ukraine and local media suggested the Kremlin is gearing up for attacks on Ukrainian airfields where newly-delivered F-16s are based. This certainly doesn’t represent a thaw in Russia: massive repression against dissidents, independent voices and NGOs continues and the swap may encourage Putin and other autocrats to seize more human bargaining chips for future potential swaps.
Ismail Haniyeh, a top leader of Hamas, was assassinated on Wednesday by an explosive device covertly smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying, according to seven Middle Eastern officials, including two Iranians, and an American official. The bomb had been hidden approximately two months ago in the guesthouse, according to five of the Middle Eastern officials. The guesthouse is run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and is part of a large compound, known as Neshat, in an upscale neighborhood of northern Tehran. Mr. Haniyeh was in Iran’s capital for the presidential inauguration. The bomb was detonated remotely, the five officials said, once it was confirmed that he was inside his room at the guesthouse. The blast also killed a bodyguard. The explosion shook the building, shattered some windows and caused the partial collapse of an exterior wall, according to the two Iranian officials, members of the Revolutionary Guards briefed on the incident. Such damage was also evident in a photograph of the building shared with The New York Times. - NYT
Popular social media platform Instagram has been blocked in Turkey, the country's Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) said on Friday, without giving any reason why or clue as to how long the ban will be in place. Access to Instagram's mobile application has also been blocked. The move comes after Turkey's Head of Communication Fahrettin Altun criticised Instagram for allegedly blocking posts of condolence for the death of Ismail Haniyeh — the Hamas political bureau chief who was killed in Tehran. - Euronews
Ukraine has received its first shipment of F-16 fighter jets from the West, something Ukraine has been seeking for months to help it beat back the Russian invasion of its territory. Ukraine says the F-16s are crucial because of their ability to suppress enemy air defenses, an ability Ukraine urgently needs to repel Russian missile strikes into Ukraine. Western allies have been slow in agreeing to supply the jets because they were fearful of escalating the conflict with Russia. It was not immediately clear how many of the jets were included in the shipment and whether Ukrainian pilots, who have received training in the West, including in the United States, would be able to use the F-16s immediately, according to Bloomberg, the first media outlet to announce the arrival of the jets. Denmark promised to donate 19 jets, and the Netherlands said it would send 24 jets to Ukraine, while Belgium and Norway, which has sent six, have promised to send more, Bloomberg reported. U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to allow allies to send the U.S.-built jets to Ukraine a year ago, after repeated requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO allies. - VOA
Radio blackouts caused by a 'tsunami' of solar storms were reported across the globe on Thursday, and scientists say more disruptions are on the way. The sun released at least 15 streams of plasma, or coronal mass ejections (CMEs), in the last 24 hours that caused communications disturbances over parts of Africa and Asia when they impacted Earth. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) trackers shows the disturbances are moving toward the US. This type of solar activity can cause issues with satellite operations in space, aviation and maritime communications and disrupt GPS. - Daily Mail
A Lufthansa flight from Munich to Tel Aviv landed in Larnaca in Cyprus Thursday, leaving passengers stranded, Israeli Channel 12 news reported. The outlet says the crew was not prepared to fly to Israel. According to the report, the airline initially informed passengers that the plane would land in Cyprus for “technical reasons” and then it would be decided whether the flight would contribute to Tel Aviv. However, after some time on the ground, it was announced that the plane would return to Germany. Passengers were told they could disembark in Cyprus if they wished, but their luggage would remain on the plane and be taken back to Germany, the report says. The airline tells Channel 12 that the plane landed in Cyprus “as a precautionary measure due to security activity.” Additionally, an Austrian Airlines flight late Wednesday from Vienna to Tel Aviv turned around in the air “somewhere around Cyprus” and returned to Vienna, a passenger on the flight told the Ynet news site.
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