Freed Americans among 16 people swapped with Russia in historic prisoner exchange

It was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan were greeted by President Biden and Kamala Harris, as their families and friends rushed to embrace them – home at last after the biggest and most complex prisoner exchange with Russia since the Cold War.

In Germany, some of the freed Russian dissidents have just been speaking for the first time – Vladimir Kara Murza said he’d told his prison guard – ‘ the day will come when Russia is a free, normal and civilised country’.