Slovenia praises landmark U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange after handing over 2 Russian spies

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s officials have praised a landmark East-West prisoner exchange in which the tiny Alpine state participated by handing over two convicted Russian sleeper agents following secretive planning and negotiations with U.S. officials. The United States and Russia on Thursday completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, along with dissidents including Vladimir Kara-Murza, in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free. Among those exchanged was the Russian couple who posed as Argentine citizens after settling in Slovenia in 2017.