Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and 15 other prisoners were released from Russia and Belarus last week in the most complex prisoner swap since the Cold War. The exchange is being heralded as a triumph of international cooperation, but it is also painting a stark picture of Russia’s willingness to detain innocent Westerners to use as bargaining chips. WSJ’s Paul Beckett and Bojan Pancevski explain how autocrats are using hostage-taking to send a message, and the tactics some countries are considering as a means to stop it. Luke Vargas hosts.
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Further Reading:
Autocrats Wield Hostage-Taking as Potent Weapon Against West
The Dark Figure at the Center of Putin’s Prisoner-Swap Demands
How Germany Enabled a Historic Hostage Swap With Russia
Putin Rolls Out Red Carpet for Hackers, Smugglers and Spies Released in Prisoner Swap
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