President Putin meets Russian citizens released in prisoner swap with the West

According to RT, President Vladimir Putin personally welcomed Russians freed from Western custody thanks to a major exchange on August 1.

Media reports said Mr Putin arrived at Vnukovo-2 airport on the outskirts of Moscow with Defence Minister Andrey Belousov, FSB chief Aleksandar Bortnikov and Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) chief Sergey Naryshkin.

Addressing the repatriated citizens, the leader said: “I want to thank all of you for being faithful to your oath, your duty, and your country will never forget you. We will meet again. We will talk about your future. Now I just want to congratulate you on your return.”

While officials in both Moscow and Washington have been tight-lipped about details, multiple media outlets have reported that a total of 26 people were exchanged on August 1.

According to the FSB, eight Russian citizens and two children were returned from the West, in exchange for individuals who had "acted in the interests of foreign states to the detriment of the security of the Russian Federation".

The White House said three US citizens and several Russian "political prisoners" were secured in the exchange, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and British-Russian citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza.

As the exchange was taking place in Türkiye, Mr. Putin signed a decree officially pardoning 16 people convicted of various crimes in Russia, including Whelan, Gershkovich, Kara-Murza, Kurmasheva and several others.

Thursday's swap was the largest in modern history, second only to the 1985 exchange of 25 Americans for three Soviets and one Pole.

According to RT, in 2010, Mr. Putin also personally welcomed a group of Russians arrested in the US as spies, including Anna Chapman. A total of 10 Russian citizens were exchanged for 4 Western spies, including Sergei Skripal.