S8 Ep57: Inside the blockbuster US-Russia prisoner swap with Shane Harris

On today’s episode, Washington Post national security reporter
and friend of the show, Shane Harris, joins Matt to discuss last
week's historic prisoner exchange between the US and Russia,
securing the release of several prominent journalists and
pro-democracy activists. Shane dives into his reporting on the
swap, detailing months of delicate negotiations, who the Russians
got in return, and touches on the complicated question of whether
these exchanges incentivize autocrats like Putin to take hostage
more Westerners and journalists to extract concessions from their
governments.

Read Shane’s work for The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/shane-harris/

Follow Shane on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/shaneharris
Follow Shane on Threads:
https://www.threads.net/@shanewharris

Reporting and groups discussed in the
episode

"Inside the deal that led to a blockbuster prisoner swap between
US, Russia" by Shane Harris, Yasmeen Abutaleb & Souad
Mekhennet:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/01/deal-us-russia-prisoner-swap/


Committee to Protect Journalists: https://cpj.org

James Foley Legacy Foundation:
https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org

Support Secrets and Spies

Become a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3:
www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies

Buy merchandise from our shop:
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996


Subscribe to our YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg

For more information about the podcast, check out our website:
https://secretsandspiespodcast.com

Connect with us on social media

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecretsAndSpies
Instagram: https://instagram.com/secretsandspies
Blue Sky:
https://bsky.app/profile/secretsandspies.bsky.social
Facebook: https://facebook.com/secretsandspies
Spoutible: https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies