The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) said on Thursday that it helped mediate the prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. There has been no official confirmation of the exchange from either Washington or Moscow, but media reports indicated Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich (pictured) and former US Marine Paul Whelan are among the prisoners.
"An exchange operation will take place today under the coordination of our organization... Our organization has undertaken a major mediation role in this exchange operation, which is the most comprehensive of the recent period," MIT stated. Turkish media also reported that a Russian government plane landed at the Esenboga Airport in Ankara and that the swap included 26 prisoners, 10 of whom returned to Russia, 13 to Germany and three to the US.
