Kara-Murza, Pivovarov, Yashin and other brave Russians held hostage by Putin are finally free. Americans Gershkovich, Whelan headed home.

Here’s what you should know about this massive Russia-West prisoner swap:

I am overjoyed that Vladimir Kara-Murza and Andrey Pivovarov, my colleagues and fellow fighters for a democratic Russia, are no longer behind bars.

For years, we have tirelessly advocated for their and every other political prisoner’s release at every international forum. They’re brave patriots of Russia.

I am also happy for the members of the Navalny team: Ksenia Fadeeva and Liliya Chanysheva (Tomsk/Ufa offices), Vadim Ostanin (Barnaul), who were serving 7-9 years for nothing more than political activism.

Oleg Orlov, Memorial rights group chair, was sentenced to 2.5 years for anti-war speech.

Aleksandra Skochilenko, an artist with underlying health conditions, had received 7 years for anti-war price tags.

Now, they all will be returning home, along with WSJ reporter Gershkovich, RFE/RL journalist Kurmasheva and several US and German citizens who were arrested in Russia and Belarus just to provide leverage for a swap.

In contrast, look who the Kremlin fought to bring home:

• Vadim Krasikov: professional hitman with many contract kills for money and intelligence agencies. Caught in Germany after a GRU-ordered murder.
  
  Alexander Vinnik: crypto magnate, who pleaded guilty in a US court to laundering $4bn.
• Vladimir Dunaev: hacker focused on ransomware, got 5 years in US for causing $3m in damages
  
  Roman Seleznev: 27 years in US for ID theft and cyberfraud worth a massive $170m.
  
  Vladislav Klyushin: 9 years in US for hacking and insider trading.
• Maxim Marchenko: Charged with smuggling and money laundering for sanctions-busting shipments of microdisplays to Russia.
  
  Vadim Konoshchenok: Smuggling and sanctions evasion.
  
  The Dultsevs, Pavel Rubtsov, Mikhail Mikushin: Deep-cover spies.
• The exchange frees innocent people from Russian jails: anti-war activists, democratic politicians, journalists, random foreigners.
  
  Putin’s regime fights tooth and nail for contract killers, fraudsters, cybercriminals, money launderers and saboteurs. To him, they’re heroes.
• Putin’s Russia is an Orwellian world where justice is inverted.
  
  The state jails the innocent as trade bait to rescue murderers and thieves. Free speech, dissent, rights, peace activism – these are crimes, worth 25 yrs.
• The big 2010 exchange was spy for spy – Anna Chapman for Sergei Skripal. That fit global norms.
  
  But Putin’s regime has come a long way in 14 years. Its “own” are now common criminals, mostly acting for personal gain.
• The “others”, to be jailed and then expelled in swaps, are dissidents, democratic politicians. The country’s best citizens, in fact. But this regime fears and loathes them.
  
  Leaving Russia was surely an agonizing compromise for many. But it was the right call for now. You’ll be back, to a free Russia. We all will.
• This milestone 24-prisoner exchange across seven countries became reality thanks to extraordinary talks between Russia, Belarus, US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, and Norway. I’m grateful to everyone involved, everyone who encouraged and made these unprecedented negotiations possible.