MIT’s Comprehensive Swap Operation
MIT has carried out the most comprehensive swap operation of the last period in Ankara, which involved the mutual exchange of 26 people in prisons in the USA, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia and Belarus. According to information obtained from security sources, two important meetings were held in Istanbul and Ankara for this operation with the participation of all relevant countries over a period of two months.
USA and Russia Prefer Türkiye
Both the US and Russia requested that the swap be carried out in Turkey. The trust that both countries have in Turkey was a major factor in this preference. MIT’s disciplined working style, ability to manage operations smoothly and success in secrecy were among the elements that reinforced Turkey’s role in this operation. Turkey guaranteed the US and Russia that “we will not make a statement until you make one.” For this reason, MIT preferred Esenboğa Airport, where control is easier to establish, as the swap location.
On August 1, a total of 26 people were transferred to Turkey on 7 planes, 2 from the US, 1 from Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Russia. As part of the operation, some hostages were taken from plane to plane, and some from plane to room. Health checks and identification of the hostages were carried out by MIT personnel. In addition, some hostages brought from Russia in prison uniforms were replaced with clothes brought by the US.
Request for Swap Hours from the US
MIT Director İbrahim Kalın spoke on the phone with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan 15 days before the swap operation. During this conversation, Sullivan stated that US President Joe Biden wanted to follow the swap operation live and requested that the swap start at 17:00 Turkish time. Taking this request into consideration, MIT started the swap operation at the specified time. US President Biden participated in this operation live. The US hostages had their first meeting with Biden at Esenboğa Airport. Afterwards, 10 hostages, including 2 children, were transferred to Russia, 13 hostages to Germany, and 3 hostages to the US. Biden called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to thank him at the press conference held after the operation.
Historical Significance of the Operation
This operation, managed by MIT, was recorded as the largest clearing operation in the last 80 years since World War II.
Prominent Names in the Swap Operation
- Evan Gershkovich:The Wall Street Journal reporter was detained in Moscow in 2023 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
- Paul Whelan:The former US Marine was detained in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
- Rico Krieger:A German national mercenary confessed to carrying out acts of sabotage in Belarus and was sentenced to death.
- Ilya Yashin:Russian dissident sentenced to 8.5 years in prison, detained in Russia for extremism
- Vadim Krasikov:A Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a Georgian citizen.
Evan Gershkovich, in particular, has the distinction of being the first American journalist convicted of espionage in Russia after the Cold War. Paul Whelan is notable for being the person who has served the longest prison sentence in Russia. Ilya Yashin has come to the fore with his oppositional political activities and false harassment on the internet. Rico Krieger has confessed to his actions in Belarus and received the death penalty for these actions. Vadim Krasikov’s accusations in Russia are also notable.
