An‑148 jet sparks prisoner exchange rumours in Kaliningrad

On Thursday morning, an An-148 aircraft with the tail number RA-61727 took off from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. These aircraft are typically used for transporting prisoners subject to exchange. The plane has already landed in Kaliningrad. Media outlets had previously reported that there could be a prisoner exchange involving Russia, the U.S., Germany, and Belarus.

This morning, an An-148 special-purpose aircraft landed in Kaliningrad, Russia. Independent Russian media indicate that this type of aircraft is most frequently used for transporting prisoners who are to be exchanged.

These reports emerge amidst information about a possible exchange between Russia, the U.S., Germany, and Belarus.

"In the near future, there could be a prisoner exchange involving Russia, the U.S., Germany, and Belarus," reported the N1 television portal on Wednesday, broadcasting in the Balkan countries, citing anonymous sources. As explained by the AFP agency, signals from Russia regarding political prisoners somewhat confirm these reports.

The information about the prisoner exchange from N1 appeared when a court in Slovenia sentenced a pair of Russian spies working for the Foreign Intelligence Service (SWR) to prison terms.

The court said in a statement that "the accused, who present themselves as Ludwig Gisch and Maria Rosa Mayer Munos, pleaded guilty and were sentenced for espionage and document forgery."

The spies reportedly moved to Slovenia in 2017 and used Argentine passports. To mask their true activities, Munos opened an online art gallery while her partner Gisch managed an IT company.

According to the N1 portal, the convicted spies, apprehended in December 2022, are to take part in a larger exchange expected to occur within the next few hours. The Balkan television reported that Russia, the U.S., Germany, and Belarus are to participate in this initiative.

In recent days, at least five opposition figures have been taken from penal colonies and pre-trial detention centres in Russia to unknown locations, including Ilya Yashin, a citizen with both Russian and German passports and an activist accused of collaborating with Ukraine, reported the AFP and Reuters agencies.

AFP noted that both Moscow and Washington have confirmed that they are negotiating the exchange of Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for the American newspaper "Wall Street Journal," who was sentenced in July in Russia to 16 years in prison. Vladimir Putin admitted that the Russian side might exchange him for Vadim Krasikov, a murderer serving a life sentence in Germany.

On Thursday morning, Fox News reported that the American journalist of the Wall Street Journal "Evan Gershkovich is set to be released" from prison in the Russian Federation. This information has not yet been confirmed.