Editorial: Le Monde

• This is the most significant prisoner exchange since the Cold War, with 24 prisoners included
• Negotiations were secret and lasted more than a year, involving the CIA, the State Department, the White House, and several allied governments
• The European countries, especially Germany, Norway, Poland, and Slovenia, have greatly contributed to the negotiations
• The crucial role in this operation for Moscow was Vadim Krassikov, a Russian agent jailed for life in Germany for the murder of a Chechen opponent in Berlin in 2019
• One of Berlin's requests was to include in the exchange several Germans and prominent Russian democratic activists jailed in Russia
• Alexei Navalny, the main opponent to Vladimir Putin, should have been released according to the negotiation terms

Conclusion: Despite these individuals being freed, Moscow's motivation does not seem to hint at a thaw in relations. It's telling that the liberated Russian citizens are not political activists or journalists, but criminals.

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