Prisoner Swaps Between Washington And Moscow (And Other Countries)
February 10, 1962
The United States exchanged Soviet Colonel Rudolf Abel for U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers at the Glienicke Bridge between West Berlin and East Germany.
October 11, 1963
Americans Marvin William Makinen and Walter Ciszek were swapped for Ivan Yegorov and his wife, Aleksandra, who had been charged with espionage in the United States.
April 22, 1964
British businessman Greville Wynne was exchanged for Soviet intelligence officer Konon Molody on the Glienicke Bridge.
April 30, 1978
A three-way swap involving the United States, East Germany, and Mozambique exchanged Miron Marcus, Robert Thompson, and Alan Van Norman.
April 27, 1979
The Soviet Union released five dissidents -- including Aleksandr Ginzburg -- in exchange for Russians Valdik Enger and Rudolf Chernyayev, convicted of espionage in the United States.
June 11, 1985
The United States exchanged four people for 25 Americans held in East Germany and Poland.
February 11, 1986
Soviet dissident Anatoly Shcharansky (Natan Sharansky) was swapped for Karel Koecher and his wife, Hana, both Czechoslovak nationals.
September 29, 1986
American journalist Nicholas Daniloff was exchanged for Gennadiy Zakharov, with Soviet dissident Yury Orlov also released as part of the deal.
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July 9, 2010
The United States deported 10 Russian nationals, who had been working under false identities, in exchange for four people convicted in Russia of spying for the West, including ex-military intelligence agent Sergei Skripal.
April 27, 2022
Convicted Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko was exchanged for former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed.
December 8, 2022
Russia and the United States exchanged U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
August 1, 2024
Russia and Belarus conducted a prisoner swap involving 24 people with the U.S. and other Western nations, releasing dissidents including Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza and American journalists Alsu Kurmasheva and Evan Gershkovich.
- Source: Media reports