Moscow fully satisfied with prisoner exchange with West held in Ankara - source in Russian competent agency

MOSCOW. Aug 1 (Interfax) - Russia is completely satisfied with the prisoner swap with the West; all the sides have met their commitments, a reputed source in a Russian competent agency told reporters.

"The Russian side is fully satisfied with the exchange that has been held," the source said.

"During preparations ahead of the execution of a technically ultra-difficult process, all the numerous parties involved in it fully met [their commitments under] the agreements," the source said.

In the exchange, Russia handed over U.S. citizens Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, who were convicted in Russia for espionage, journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, a citizen of Russia and the U.S., who was convicted for disseminating false information on the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Kara-Murza (recognized in Russia as a foreign agent),a Russian citizen, a British national and a U.S. green card holder, a public figure and an opposition activist, who was convicted for high treason, disseminating false information on the activities of the Russian Armed Forces and cooperation with an unwelcome organization.

The exchange also included citizens of Russia and Germany Dieter (Demuri) Woronin, who was implicated in the case of journalist Ivan Safronov, convicted for high treason, Kevin Lik, convicted for high treason, and German Moyzhes, implicated in a high treason case. Russia has also handed over German citizen Patrick Schobel, accused of drug smuggling.

Russia has also handed over Oleg Orlov, former board member of Memorial society (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia), who was convicted for repeated discreditation of the Russian Armed Forces, and Andrei Pivovarov, former director of Open Russia (recognized as an unwelcome organization in Russia), who was convicted for organizing the activities of an unwelcome organization.

The exchange also included public figure and opposition activist Ilya Yashin (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia), who was convicted for fakes on the Russian Armed Forces, and also activists who worked with entities of Alexei Navalny, which were recognized as extremist and were banned in Russia: Liliya Chanysheva, Kseniya Fadeyeva, Vadim Ostanin, convicted in a case involving an extremist community, and artist Alexandra (Sasha) Skolichenko, who was convicted in a case involving fakes about the Russian Armed Forces.

The exchange included German citizen Rico Krieger, who was sentenced to death in Belarus on a number of charges, including mercenary activities associated with participation in the military action in Ukraine, who was pardoned.

The people handed over to Russia are Vadim Krasikov (Sokolov), who was sentenced to life in prison in Germany in a case involving the 2019 killing in Tiergarten, Vladislav Klyushin, who was convicted in the United States to nine years in prison for computer hacking and fraud, Artyom Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, who were sentenced in Slovenia to one year and seven months for espionage, Pavel Rubtsov, who was accused in Poland of spying for Russia, Mikhail Mikushin, who was accused of spying for Russia in Norway, Roman Seleznyov, who received 27 years in prison in the U.S. for cyber fraud, and Vadim Konoshchyonok, who was charged in the U.S. with smuggling technologies and U.S. munitions for the Russian defense sector.