Evan Gershkovich among 26 freed in Russia prisoner deal with West: Turkey

Ten Russians, including two minors, were handed over in return for 16 westerners detained by Russia

US reporter Evan Gershkovich and former US marine Paul Whelan were among 26 prisoners released Thursday in Ankara in a major swap involving Russia, Belarus and five western countries, Turkey announced.

Ten Russians, including two minors, were handed over in return for 16 westerners detained by Russia, said a statement released by the Turkish presidency.

It hailed a "historic prisoner exchange operation" organised by its MIT national intelligence service.

Wall Street Journal journalist Gershkovich was released just weeks after being sentenced by a Russian court to a 16-year prison term for espionage.

As well as Gershkovich and Whelan, German Rico Krieger, who was imprisoned in Belarus, was among those freed.

Krieger had been facing the death penalty for photographing military sites before President Alexander Lukashenko pardoned him on Tuesday.

Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin, jailed for denouncing Russia's Ukraine offensive, was another of those released by Moscow.

On the other side of the swap, Germany released Russian intelligence colonel Vadim Krasikov, jailed in Germany for the killing of a Chechen separatist, the statement added.

Thirteen of the detainees freed by Russia went to Germany and three to the United States.

Prisoners were flown to Ankara from the United States, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Belarus and Russia, it added.

"The prisoners were transported to Turkey by a total of seven aircraft, including two from the United States and one each from Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, and Russia, as part of the prisoner exchange operation."

AFP journalists saw two aircraft in Russian colours land at Ankara airport shortly before 4:30 pm (1330 GMT).

"All the prisoners have been disembarked and put in a safe place under the supervision of the MIT," said the Turkish statement.

Turkey said the swap was the "most extensive prisoner exchange between the United States, Russia, and Germany in recent years".

It said "channels of dialogue for this historic operation were established by MIT" and the different sides were "brought together in Turkey" in July.