Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) welcomes prisoners released following the swap deal at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. -/KREMLIN/dpa
Putin greets Russians freed in prisoner exchange at Moscow airport
DPA: Russian President Vladimir Putin has personally met the Russians released in a major prisoner exchange at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport.
Putin hugged at least one of the men on the tarmac, where the presidential guard was standing guard, television pictures released by the Kremlin showed.
The Russian secret service chiefs Alexander Bortnikov from the domestic agency known as FSB and Sergei Naryshkin, head of the foreign agency or SWR as well as Defence Minister Andrei Belousov were also part of the reception committee.
"You are at home, you are at home," Putin greeted the freed men and announced that they would be nominated for state honours.
Tears of joy were visible on the faces of those released.
One of the men released was a convicted murderer who killed a Chechen dissident in broad daylight in a park in central Berlin. He was released from German custody as part of the deal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) welcomes prisoners released following the swap deal at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. -/KREMLIN/dpa
-
- Finance
- 2 August 2024 11:08
In World
-
Volodymyr Zelensky has warned European leaders Donald Trump will ignore them if the continent doesn’t take better care of its own defences.
-
President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending all U.S. foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals.
-
President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement on Monday, once again placing the world's top historic emitter of greenhouse gases outside the global pact aimed at pushing nations to tackle climate change. Here are some reactions to the announcement of the second U.S. withdrawal from the climate pact:
-
Moldova and its separatist Transdniestria region inched towards a deal on Monday to allow gas to flow to residents of the rebel enclave, who have been suffering from power and heating cuts since the start of the year.
Leave a review