Recent developments in the Russian prisoner swap have seen some plans materialize in Germany and Poland. FlightRadar 24 data indicates that two planes have landed in Cologne, Germany, while another has touched down at Poland's Chopin Airport in Warsaw.
Earlier on Thursday, one of the planes departed from Baden-Baden Karlsruhe Airport in southern Germany bound for Ankara, Turkey. Additionally, a separate aircraft took off from Dulles International Airport near Washington, DC, late Wednesday night, also heading to Ankara, Turkey.
Notably, the prisoner exchange included former high-ranking Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) colonel Vadim Krasikov, who had been in German custody. Krasikov was involved in the fatal shooting of former Chechen fighter Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili in Berlin's Kleiner Tiergarten in a manner described as 'execution style' and in broad daylight.
As part of the prisoner swap, five German citizens were released. The exchange has drawn attention due to the high-profile nature of the individuals involved and the international ramifications of the process.