Four American prisoners detained in Russia have been released in a “uniquely challenging” big swap deal confirmed overnight by US President Joe Biden. That includes Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who was locked up in March last year – he was convicted of espionage in a secret trial that was condemned as a sham and imprisoned for 16 years. Biden called the deal “a feat of diplomacy” and is wider than Gershkovich – it involves 24 prisoners (​​8 are returning to Russia and 16 to Western nations) and 6 countries, with the deal hinging on Germany releasing Russian hit man Vadim Krasikov. He was convicted of the 2019 murder of a former Chechen militant in broad daylight in a park in central Berlin. Former/aspiring President Donald Trump questioned the terms of the deal saying US negotiators are “always an embarrassment to us!”